Campbell scales back his Crystal Cove proposal

Andrew Edwards

Sen. John Campbell has scaled back his proposal to have the state

hire a nonprofit group to manage Crystal Cove State Park.

Following a tour of the park Sunday, Campbell said a nonprofit’s

role should be limited to the park’s historic cottage district and

the El Morro area.

A bill to place park land under private management would not

contain provisions to extend the leases of tenants living at El Morro

Village, said Campbell, who represents Newport Beach and Costa Mesa

in the state Senate. The state Department of Parks and Recreation is

seeking to evict park residents and replace mobile homes with a

public campground.

In April, Newport Beach Assemblyman Chuck DeVore dropped two bills

that would have extended El Morro tenants’ leases.

While not making his own proposal for El Morro, Campbell said a

nonprofit in charge of that area would be able to decide how the land

is used. He added that he believes a nonprofit could better represent

locals’ desires for El Morro than parks officials.

“Because it’s made up of community people, I think they’ll make a

better decision than a distant state bureaucracy,” Campbell said.

Campbell said he did not specifically discuss his proposal with

DeVore, who acknowledged the two Republicans regularly discuss

Crystal Cove.

DeVore said he still believes extending El Morro leases makes

financial sense.

“It’s a reliable source of revenue that at a significant level can

accommodate what we need to have done,” DeVore said.

A bill with specific proposals for the park could come out soon,

though Campbell wants to speak with representatives from the state

Department of Parks and Recreation and nonprofit Crystal Cove

Alliance this week before legislation is written.

“We’re going to try and move quick on it, because the need is

there,” Campbell said.

Campbell said his idea was motivated by the parks department’s

recent request for $2 million to complete the first phase of the

restoration of 46 historic cottages at Crystal Cove. He believes the

state cannot afford to spend the money, while a nonprofit would be

able to raise money for park improvements.

The first phase of the restoration project was initially scheduled

for completion in March at a cost of $12 million. Parks officials now

expect to have 22 cottages ready by August or September if they

receive additional funding, said Mike Tope, superintendent of the

state parks’ Orange Coast District.

The extra money is needed for two cottages that need to be

rebuilt, Tope said. The parks department has attributed the delays to

winter storms and structural damage that was not found in cottages

until renovations started.

As part of the state budget process, parks officials already

intend to solicit bids from businesses and nonprofits to manage

concessions at the historic district when cottages are open to

vacationers, Tope said. Parks officials expect the department to

manage the planned campground at El Morro.

Crystal Cove Alliance founder Laura Davick agreed that a nonprofit

should not manage the entire park. However, she said having a

nonprofit manage the cottages could free the historic district from

Sacramento’s money problems.

“That’s our goal, that we’re not going to have to depend on the

state budget for improvements at the park,” Davick said.

If the state does seek a nonprofit to manage Crystal Cove, Davick

said her group -- which is working with the parks department to raise

money for the cottage project -- may submit a bid.

“If it’s financially viable for us, we’ll probably proceed in that

direction,” she said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards

@latimes.com.