Freshman Assemblyman Chuck DeVore has stirred up...

Freshman Assemblyman Chuck DeVore has stirred up a hornet’s nest with

two bills he has co-authored, either one of which would extend the

leases at the El Morro Village trailer park for 30 years in exchange

for higher market rents from the homeowners.

DeVore’s bills have created a debate between those who believe the

state land needs to be open and the trailers removed and those who

want to leave the site as it is.

Daily Pilot Managing Editor S.J. Cahn caught up with DeVore this

week and asked him about the El Morro controversy:

When did you first become aware of the issues at El Morro and what

made you decide to author bills to extend the leases?

I remember the news coverage about the last lease extension for El

Morro Village over five years ago. But, I really focused on the

controversy at Crystal Cove State Park when the press covered an

October 2002 fundraiser hosted by Joan Irvine Smith for Gov. Gray

Davis. The reporter described how the event raised $100,000 to change

Governor Davis’ mind about Governor Pete Wilson’s plans to build an

environmentally sound world-class resort at Crystal Cove with private

funds that would generate millions of dollars for California.

As a result of that change in plans, the taxpayers were hit with

over $10 million of costs and reduced revenue from the park -- a

decision that will cost us for decades.

I decided to take action after becoming aware of then Assemblyman

John Campbell’s budget initiative to raise the El Morro Village rents

to market rate as a tangible step to balance the state’s budget

crisis. His efforts almost succeeded last year.

I am simply trying another path to accomplish largely the same

thing -- delay spending up to $14 million of borrowed money, while

increasing revenue to the state. The alternative, proceeding with the

parks department’s outdated plan, is fiscal insanity. Rather, we

should maximize a valuable asset, generating at least $3.2 million of

profit per year that may be used to either reduce the deficit or pay

down the almost $1 billion deferred maintenance work that is

degrading our parks system.

What reactions have you received about the story? About how many

people on each side have contacted you?

I’ve received encouragement from over 350 people, who praise the

fiscally conservative aspects of my plan. On the other side, about 40

people with the Sierra Club and other environmental groups have

registered their opposition.

What kind of support have you received in Sacramento and do you,

given that Republicans are the minority in the Legislature, think the

bills have real chances of passing?

There is bi-partisan support for the bills, including support from

the Republican leader in the Assembly. In addition, there are many

within the Schwarzenegger Administration who care about containing

runaway government spending that are delighted with the bills. I

consider these bills a starting point that provide a concrete example

of how we can return fiscal sanity to the state. This Thursday, for

example, there was a report that the state parks department deferred

maintenance backlog is now almost $1 billion -- double the number

that the state parks chief told me only last month. As my colleagues

hear this, they openly question the parks department’s plans to

increase park capacity when we cannot afford to maintain the 1.5

million acres we already have.

Is the beach at El Morro really open to the public as residents

there claim? Have you ever just gone to the beach there as a

“civilian” and not the area’s Assembly representative to check into

that?

I first visited the beach at El Morro in the early 1980s when

parking along PCH was allowed, then again, about a dozen years ago on

a church-sponsored day at the beach. My family usually goes to

Newport Beach or to the beach at Corona del Mar, as they are closer

to our home.

There is a 50-car parking lot at El Morro Village, but the parks

department will not allow it to be open to the general public as a

deliberate attempt to paint the El Morro residents in a bad light by

making them appear to oppose public access. In addition, there are

1,031 parking spaces in the existing lots at Crystal Cove State Park.

According to state parks data, these lots were only used to about 44%

of capacity in 2004. Many of these lots can be used to access the

beach and anyone can enjoy the beach without interference from the El

Morro residents. I have personally heard this fact from many, many

residents of my district.

Why do you think the issue of park superintendent Ken Kramer

living at the Crystal Cove cottages is so important?

For two reasons: Mr. Kramer had a role in the decision-making

process that led to his receiving a taxpayer-provided plum worth

about $40,000 per year -- this has the appearance of a conflict of

interest; secondly, the whole policy of providing tax-free housing

benefits to highly-paid senior government employees should be

reexamined. For many years, Mr. Kramer has owned a nice home in

Corona del Mar, only two miles from his work location. Because the

taxpayers are now providing him a cottage restored with $10 million

of tax funds to live in, he now rents out his house for about $4,000

profit per month.

Further, I am disappointed with the parks department regarding

this entire matter. On Dec. 22, 2004, I met with Mr. Kramer and

others and asked some very specific questions about Crystal Cove and

the living arrangements there. These questions were part of my

official duties in performing oversight into how the public funds the

Legislature approves are spent by the executive branch. I did not get

a straight answer. Now I know why as Mr. Kramer himself was one of

the people living at Crystal Cove in a restored cottage for less than

$150 per month.

What is your reaction to state parks’ response to your charges?

When a parks spokesman and other parks employees, release a

“draft” letter to the press, accusing a lawmaker of violating the

law, that’s pretty serious. It’s also a total breach of policy and

shows the complete bankruptcy of their arguments. I understand the

governor’s office is pretty upset about it too. But, what else can

they say? They have to change the subject, otherwise they are left

defending the indefensible. They want to add park space when they

can’t afford to maintain the 278 parks they have now. They want to

execute a 23-year-old plan that will reduce revenue and cannot be

fiscally sustained. And they set up one of their senior workers in

paradise on the Pacific, giving him a tax-free benefit that enrages

almost every taxpayer I speak with, even though he owns a home only

two miles down the road.

Do you support any kind of campground being built at Crystal Cove

State Park?

Absolutely. There are about 3,000 acres at Crystal Cove. El Morro

Village covers only about 32 acres or 1% of the land. I always

wondered why, for instance, we couldn’t have a campground and RV

parking above the terrace level of the current El Morro Village, a

little further away from the elementary school and near a current

parks administration building. I’m told that the Coastal Commission

would have to approve that. Furthermore, there are about five parking

lots already in the park with more than 1,000 spaces, many of which

could be modified to host a camp site. Lastly, 30 of the 46 cottages

restored with $10 million of tax money will soon be available to the

public (with 16 of them reserved for government and general use) for

overnight stays.