California off-roading starring in another controversy

A longstanding rift in the state's environmental community was dragged back into the spotlight this week in the wake of revelations about poor accounting at California parks.

Much of the $54-million hidden surplus was found in a fund dedicated to off-roading, which has been the center of controversy for years.

The full story ran in Friday's Los Angeles Times.

The parks department has been shedding its top officials in the wake of the accounting scandal. State Sen. Joseph Simitian (D-Palo Alto) said the next round of leadership will face a steep challenge in navigating the concerns of environmentalists and off-roaders.

"Whoever the next parks director is has their work cut out for them to improve the working relationship between the factions in the parks world," he said.

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-- Chris Megerian in Sacramento