California needs a vision for its state parks that provides the next generation of families with the quality outdoor recreation opportunities they deserve.

The failure to open a new state park since 2009 marks the longest period of time California has gone without expanding its system since the state parks department was established in 1927. That includes the Great Depression.

Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to step forward with a plan for increasing the size of the park system while properly maintaining the lands the state currently controls. And he needs a new parks director who can help him provide that vision.

The current director, Lisa Mangat, is not that person. The state owes Mangat a debt of gratitude for restoring confidence in the parks system’s finances after an embarrassing 2012 scandal. Then-Gov. Jerry Brown was threatening to close 70 state parks in the midst of a budget battle when it was discovered that department officials had hidden $54 million in funds in an off-the-books accounting system.

Mangat’s expertise in fiscal policy made her the right choice then to lead the parks department. But California has not opened a new state park under her leadership. Nor has she convinced state leaders, despite strong economic growth, to provide a dedicated funding source adequate for expansion and maintenance.

Consequently, Bay Area News Group’s Paul Rogers reported last week, California’s 280 state parks, beaches and historic sites are becoming more crowded. As the state’s population continues to grow, parking and camping sites are harder to find. It’s shameful that California spends less than 1 percent of its budget on state parks when a small investment could make a significant impact.

Two Bay Area opportunities illustrate how California has failed to take advantage of golden opportunities to expand its parks system.

The Sempervirens Fund raised $8 million to buy 33 acres on the Santa Clara-Santa Cruz County line to build a parking lot, restrooms, signs and trails for a new entrance at Castle Rock State Park. Parking is so limited for the popular park that for years cars have lined Skyline Boulevard, creating a hazard for drivers and pedestrians. But state park officials said they wouldn’t buy the property unless it came with an endowment to provide maintenance and rangers.

In the East Bay, adjacent to Mount Diablo State Park, an environmental group came up with $7.2 million to buy Curry Canyon Ranch, a 1,000-acre property with breathtaking views. The group offered to sell the property to the state at a reduced price, but state parks officials again said they didn’t have the money.

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Why California hasn’t opened a new state park in 10 years Imagine if past California leaders had decided that they couldn’t afford to purchase the land that now makes up Big Basin, Mount Diablo, Mount Tamalpais, Big Sur and Jedediah Smith Redwoods state parks.

The governor, legislators and the state parks department must build on that legacy to ensure meaningful recreational opportunities for future generations.