Free Republic

Two days before it is scheduled to complete a $95 million deal to preserve the scenic Hearst Ranch, the Schwarzenegger administration still has not made public its estimates about how much the landmark purchase will cost taxpayers for new park rangers, maintenance and other expenses. --snip-- If Schwarzenegger officials stick with a rule they approved earlier this year aimed at curbing costs for new state parks, they would have to reject the Hearst deal because of its operating expenses. Or they could accept the deal, and keep costs down by closing Hearst's beaches to the public, which would be unpopular....

California taxpayers may be able to preserve wildlife and the scenic views across Hearst Ranch without spending the $95 million called for in a proposed state deal, according to a new report from the California Coastal Commission. The report, issued by the commission's district office in Santa Cruz, raises new questions about the landmark Hearst Ranch deal even as a vote to release state funding is scheduled for today by the state Wildlife Conservation Board in Sacramento. Details of deal Under a deal negotiated by the Schwarzenegger administration, Hearst -- a New York City media giant that owns the San...

SAN SIMEON – It's one of the most stunning chunks of waterfront real estate in California. Largely unpaved, unwired, unpiped and untouched by the public, it is home to zebras, and seals the size of Hummers, and carries the enduring stamp of an American icon. The Hearst Ranch is believed to be the largest undeveloped, privately owned property on the coast. "We think it's as special as they come," said Stephen Hearst, 47, the great-grandson of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, who inherited land that his father bought in the 1860s and was the force behind the famed Hearst Castle....