SAN MARCOS — The City Council approved a resolution on Tuesday accepting a $5 million grant from the California State Parks under Senate Bill 105.
SB 105 is a budget trailer bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September that allows changes to appropriations already approved. Soon after its passage, San Marcos city staff were informed that the Assemblymember Darshana Patel (D-San Diego) had helped to secure a one-time allocation for improvements to city parks.
“I want to give thanks to our assemblywoman, Dr. Patel, for advocating for this much-needed funding that will make such a significant impact in our city, and I look forward to hearing from city staff how we are going to improve our city and our parks,” said Councilmember María Nuñez.
San Marcos city staff are currently reviewing project needs across all 44 of its city parks, with officials previously highlighting Bradley Park as one of the sites in need of improvements.
The goal is to use the funds for projects that will make “the largest impact” for residents in the city, according to a staff report.
“We are still developing our list of improvement projects to present to State Parks. We are looking at restroom upgrades, new lighting, rehabbing sports fields and other projects across our parks system,” said city spokesperson Kristina Ray.
The next step is for the city to attend a workshop on capital outlay projects hosted by the state parks department, to begin requesting reimbursements for park improvements starting in 2026.
