The California State Park Access program was announced May 28, 2008, by Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz). The new program will bring over $200 million annually in new funding to support the state park system, while providing free day-use access to California state parks.

The California State Park Access Pass is a proposal to provide much-needed funding for the state park system, while offering Californians free day-use access to their state parks. It creates a new funding stream for California's state parks by instituting a $10 surcharge on vehicle license fees of all non-commercial vehicles and a subset of commercial vehicles in California. In exchange for paying the fee, Californians will be provided free day-use access to virtually all state parks, no day-use or parking fees required.

Find out more about the proposal.   more info ...

TPA endorses this proposal and urges your support.

Send a letter to your lawmakers supporting this proposal.   more info ...

How will the California State Park Access Pass affect TPA members?
The California State Park Access Pass is an idea that has just been proposed. It will require the Legislature's approval and the Governor's approval to become law. As the proposal is being debated, there will still be day-use entrance fees collected in California's state parks. During this time, annual passes and lifetime passes provided by the Torrey Pines Association will still be valid for entry into Torrey Pines State Reserve's South Beach and upper Reserve lots. Should the proposal become effective, Californians may be provided free day-use access on special days, weekends, or throughout the year, depending on the final proposal adopted by the Legislature and Governor. At that time, the Torrey Pines Association will share information about free park access with our members and address any outstanding questions about the impact of the State Park Access Pass to current TPA members. In the meantime, your membership dollars are doing the important work of preserving and protecting the unique resources of Torrey Pines State Reserve and will continue to do so. The TPA very much appreciates your commitment to our shared mission.