BOATS MAY 'SAIL' TO CAPITOL STEPS.

Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Boating enthusiasts could descend on Sacramento later this month - their fleet in tow - if the Legislature can't find the funds to keep Castaic Lake Recreation Area open, protest organizers said Monday.

A member of Friends of Castaic Lake has circulated an e-mail urging a caravan of boaters to drive to the Capitol on Aug. 18 if the state does not save the recreation center, which is expected to shut down in the middle of Labor Day weekend.

``We want to show the state Legislature that there are a lot of voters who use the lake. We want to show them that at their doorstep,'' said Tracy Jara, president of the Castaic Chamber of Commerce, who supports the boat protest.

Facing a budget shortfall of $4 million this fiscal year, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department officials want state government either to take over the lake or pay the county agency $2.8 million to continue operating the popular swimming and boating destination.

Friends of Castaic Lake member David Jarrell, who wrote the e-mail sent out on Friday, is hoping to round up more than 100 Southern California boaters to haul their crafts to Sacramento in a show of unity for keeping the lake open.

Jarrell said Monday he believes that closing and securing the lake would be more costly than leaving it open.

``It truly makes sense for (state government) to just hand over the money (for) the county to run the operation,'' Jarrell said.

The closure of Castaic Lake - one of the Santa Clarita Valley's most popular tourist attractions - has been looming for months as county officials have struggled to cope with the massive state budget crisis.

The state's new 2003-04 spending plan, approved by Gov. Gray Davis on Saturday, did not include any additional funds for the county park system.

On Monday state officials were still fishing for funds to operate the facility.

``There are a number of people looking to see if we can find funds to keep Castaic Lake open,'' said State Sen. Pete Knight, R-Palmdale. ``The California Boating and Waterways Commission seems to have some money. We should investigate tapping into their sources and see if they could help us out.''

So far, however, no funding has been secured, Knight said.

County officials were frustrated Monday as they continued to push state representatives for a solution, said Tony Bell, spokesman for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

``I hope people are listening up there in Sacramento, because down here in Los Angeles County we're serious about keeping Castaic Lake open,'' Bell said.

If state funds don't come, county officials plan to close Castaic Lake on Aug. 31 in the middle of the long holiday weekend popular with boaters at the lake.

About 800,000 people visit the lake each year, including as many as 45,000 on holiday weekends. The visitors, who stop for gas, food or an overnight stay at nearby hotels, provide the lifeblood for Castaic's economy.

Officials have said that 60 seasonal lifeguards would be fired if the lake closes, and seven permanent employees would be reassigned to other county facilities. Workers received layoff notices in June.

Nicholas Grudin, [phone]

nicholas.grudin(at)dailynews.com