SeeCalifornia.com

Photo: Lifeguard towers  in Los Angeles were painted vibrant colors and designs for a special promotion in 2010.

California State Parks, an agency laden with over 1 million collectible assets, over 270 parks and beaches, and millions of dollars (0r maybe billions) of employee salaries, benefits and pensions, has to cut back to help trim the billions of dollars of the California state deficit, says the governor. (Yesterday we reported that California has the 10th lowest revenue per person, and spends the 15th most per person–our government spends too much, and has to cut back!)

To date California State Parks cuts have been modest, and they’ve held off the dragon slayer. An attempt to get taxpayers to pay around $15 each year per registered vehicle to support their agency failed. Park officials say they are worried about graffiti in the parks and advertising sponsorships that could cheapen these public lands.  This year’s deadline to prepare for closing the least profitable entities has involved assessing the damage, gaining forces among the ranks and non-profit groups to fight closures, and looking for private community sponsors to help operated some of the state park assets that will no longer have staff on site.

Roy Stearns, a state parks spokesman, says that the public would “be up in arms” if naming rights were sold to keep California’s state parks open. Has he traveled around California to see how many beaches and venues are already being sponsored? Younger generations often don’t know of any other way, and in many cases the public welcomes the advertising, believe it or not. Not all are enthusiastic about selling public assets for advertising, but in the world of big-ticket sports fans know the game–the naming rights of a stadium changes many times within its lifespan.

Here are some examples of paid advertising on California’s public parks and beaches:

Los Angeles Beaches – Arrowhead signs are posted at beaches and lifeguard towers as a form of sponsorship. In 2010  the lifeguard towers were painted in wild, psychedelic designs for a promotion. And for as long as anyone can recall, L.A. has collected filming fees for a variety productions ranging from Baywatch to Beaches to 90210.

Orange County Beaches – While the city of Huntington Beach operates a main beach sandwiched on two sides by Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington State Beach owned and operated by California State Parks, the city is responsible for the marketing that helps keep the parking lots and campgrounds of two surrounding state beaches profitable. Those state beaches are two of the most profitable among the state assets and have never been considered for closure–but why?

• Huntington Beach first allowed Coca Cola to sponsor all the public soda machines in the city, and in exchange for money, Coca Cola received city naming rights as official drink, banners in strategic places and millions of tourists buying Coke.
• Then came Hollister clothing line, offering money for broadcasting rights to show the ocean waves, people at play and quintessential Southern California beaches via big cams on the Huntington Beach Pier and other strategic locations. For several years the city has provided live feeds to Hollister clothing stores in New York City and other places. People walk into the stores and see huge wall screens and waves of California.
• Surf industry manufacturer, Hurley, bought rights to naming of the city’s biggest event, the US Open of Surfing and paid for new lifeguard towers, shaped like mini-versions of the iconic Huntington Beach Pier.
• Hurley’s top surfing champ from Florida, Kelly Slater, went on the road to pitch the Hurley brand, and his face appeared on banners lining Beach Boulevard and Main Street throughout town for several months. The banners and effort were paid for by Hurley with proceeds going into the city coffers. To finalize the deal, the mayor gave Kelly Slater a key to the city in a special ceremony that received national news broadcast coverage.
• For over a decade the city’s lifeguard trucks have been swapped out and replaced by car manufacturers who love to see their brands out on the beach. If you wonder how they can afford shiny new vehicles– sponsorships!
•  The city’s lifeguard services wear Hurley shirts in advertisements, but took them off when they were paid to be the subject of TRUE TV programming.
• The Weather Channel has offered the city money to feature the lifeguards on TV programming currently.  The city looks upon this as added money to the city and free advertising to promote the beach destination.
• Public trash cans on the beach have long been wrapped with ads. First it was Coppertone, but lately it has been mostly car dealers.

Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors has seen and watched the success of other destinations and is pitching its public beaches as “your blank canvas”.  Employees have researched electronic beach advertising and have some ideas on how to capture the dollars in their county:

• Automated sunscreen application machines with DVDs that play commercials.
• Cellphone carriers
• Surf retailers
• Oil company ads on trash barrels
• Coca-Cola and Pepsi

Like other beaches & parks counterparts, they have maintained rules against especially large displays and content that includes sex or alcohol.  California State Parks has tried to find sponsorships. Officials spoke with Coca Cola reps two years ago trying to work out a $15-million agreement to build a Coca-Cola  Eco Beach  in Southern California with solar-powered vending machines, windmills and sun shades in the shape of Coke logos. The over-the-top deal fizzled like so many opened soda cans that sit out too long.

State parks are encumbered by the rules & regulations and don’t have capability to market themselves like smaller entities or those free of slow, burdensome legislation. When the California Department of Tourism was disbanded and shuttered not quite 10 years ago, a non-profit formed and has built a budget of over $40 million to promote California tourism. Their primary funding sources have come from the companies that benefit directly from their marketing efforts–theme parks, car rentals, hotels and cities. For every car you rent in California, a fee goes to this agency, California Travel, to support marketing of the state as a destination.

Should California State Parks sell its parks and beach spaces to the highest bidders (within reason)? Most of us have an answer to that question–it’s already happening around them. It is the way of the world.