Cheap rent and questionable use: A look at the CA State Parks employee housing program
State Parks employees are encouraged to live on the natural resources they protect so that they have access to serving the public at all hours. But some are questioning if the program is better designed to serve government workers than it is the public. Share Updated: 10:43 AM PDT Apr 16, 2021 Caitlin Conrad
Cheap rent and questionable use: A look at the CA State Parks employee housing program
State Parks employees are encouraged to live on the natural resources they protect so that they have access to serving the public at all hours. But some are questioning if the program is better designed to serve government workers than it is the public.
A family questions how State Parks is using a house they donated, and a task force launches. montereycountyweekly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from montereycountyweekly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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It’s a coveted perk for state parks employees: For just a few hundred dollars a month, they can live in government-owned homes in some of California’s most scenic and sought-after locations beachfront cottages, historic houses in pricey neighborhoods and cabins surrounded by stretches of pristine wilderness.
The benefit was created so California Department of Parks and Recreation staff could live close to the natural treasures they protect or maintain. But the well-intentioned program has been poorly managed, with current and former employees alleging that state property is being used for the benefit of some favored staff members, according to a Times investigation.
At Crystal Cove State Park a state parks employee lives in a shorefront cottage for $232 a month. Next door, cottages are advertised as vacation rentals for up to $269 a night.