Gov. Gavin Newsom announces plan to open 3 new state parks
On April 22, California Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced State Parks Forward, a statewide initiative aiming to establish three new state parks by 2030. The initiative also promises to add 804 acres to existing parks.
State Parks Forward will create Feather River Park in Olivehurst, Yuba County; San Joaquin River Parkway in Fresno and Madera counties; and Dust Bowl Camp in Bakersfield, Kern County. California currently has 280 state parks — the most in the nation.
According to the State Parks Forward website, this new initiative is one of multiple parks-related projects Newsom has implemented in his time as governor. Newsom also instated Outdoors for All, a three-part program that issues state park passes to underserved communities, and 30×30, a state commitment to preserve 30% of its land and coastal waters by 2030.
In a statement announcing the expansion, Newsom explained the benefits of expanding the California state park system.
“Today, through the State Parks Forward initiative, we’re expanding our parks system with three new state parks, creating new outdoor recreation opportunities for Central Valley communities, and deepening our conservation commitments, and preserving our lands for generations of Californians to come,” Newsom said.
California’s acquisition of new parks will not incur additional costs to the state. California Senate Bill 630, passed in 2025, allows the Department of Parks and Recreation to oversee appraisals and raises the land acquisition authorization threshold from $150,000 to $750,000. Additionally, Assembly Bill 679 gives the state authority to purchase land for the expansion of Big Basin Redwood, Año Nuevo, and Butano state parks until the end of 2035.
Balboa Park attendance continues to drop
The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership reported that there was a 34% decrease in attendance at Balboa Park museums from January to March in 2026, relative to 2025, since paid parking was instituted earlier this year. Some institutions reported a decrease of up to 60% in attendance over this period.
Balboa Park Cultural Partnership Executive Director Peter Comiskey estimates that some of the park’s larger institutions may lose more than $10 million in revenue as a result of the decrease in attendance.
Within the first week of implementing paid parking, the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership reported a 25% drop in attendance.
The report comes after San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria released the draft budget for fiscal year 2026-27, which anticipates an $11 million decrease in funding for nonprofit organizations and grants for arts and culture.
The budget additionally foresees a $118 million deficit. The City Council previously expected that paid parking would generate $15 million. However, the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst projected a shortfall in comparison to this initial report; it estimated that revenues from non-zoo paid parking areas would lead to $4 million this fiscal year.
Local community organizations attributed the decrease in attendance to the city’s implementation of paid parking, which was finalized in January 2026. Gloria later scaled back parking limitations in response to backlash by shortening enforcement hours by two hours and offering additional parking lots free of charge for San Diego residents.
The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership is a nonprofit organization that serves as the “collective voice” for 24 arts, science, and cultural institutions within the park, according to the organization’s website.
GOP-backed initiative for voter identification requirements becomes eligible for November ballot
On Friday, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced that a GOP-backed constitutional amendment requiring voter identification to vote may appear on the November ballot. If passed, voters would be required to show a government-issued ID at polls or provide identifying information when voting by mail. Currently, voters are only required to present a valid ID and social security number when they register to vote.
The bill is backed by multiple California Republican leaders, including San Diego Assemblymember Carl DeMaio and California state Sen. Tony Strickland.
In a comment to KPBS, DeMaio explained why he thinks the measure is beneficial.
“The California Voter ID Initiative is a common-sense and bipartisan way to restore the trust and confidence all voters should have in our election system,” DeMaio said. “Our measure simply holds government officials accountable to maintain accurate voter lists and verify the identity of individuals casting ballots in our elections.”
Weber will certify the initiative’s inclusion in the November ballot on June 25, unless proponents retract it.
The measure required over 950,000 valid petition signatures to become eligible for the Nov. 3 ballot.
Currently, 36 other states require additional ID verification at polling stations.
Groups including the California divisions of the American Civil Liberties Union, the California Black Power Network, Disability Rights California, and the League of Women Voters of California have spoken out against the initiative.
In a press release on Friday, the League of Women Voters of California argued that the measure would be detrimental to voters.
“Registered voters who change their names after getting married or divorced, who have recently moved, or whose records contain even a small clerical error could show up to vote and be denied a ballot,” the statement read. “The measure would also require elections officials to do citizenship investigations of all California voters, even though eligibility is already verified during registration.”
Suspect opens fire outside correspondent’s dinner in DC
A man armed with several firearms, including a shotgun and a handgun, attacked the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday evening. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were quickly evacuated from the room after several gunshots were heard from the ballroom. One Secret Service agent was shot in his bullet-resistant vest but is expected to recover. No other attendees were injured.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended and taken to a hospital but reportedly suffered no injuries. Allen has already been charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault of a federal officer, and officials expect more charges to come. Video footage from the event shows Allen sprinting through a security checkpoint and stunning security personnel before they quickly pursued him.
Following his arrest, police investigation revealed that Allen wrote statements planning the alleged attack, criticizing the lack of security at the hotel where the event was hosted. In a statement to Reuters, former senior Secret Service agent Donald Mihalek commented on the event’s security logistics.
“I’m sure the service is going to go back and relook at the setup there and probably push out the perimeter some more now because of what happened,” Mihalek said.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said authorities believe that Allen traveled by train from his home in Torrance, California, to Washington, D.C., for the dinner. The event will be rescheduled within 30 days.
