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Tag: entrance

  • National park staff are asking about citizenship status. Here’s why

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    If you’re planning to visit one of the 11 most popular national parks in the U.S. — two of which are in California — staff might ask a question that could be disquieting: Are you an American citizen?

    A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior said that the question is being posed only to confirm whether the visitor will have to pay a nonresident fee — which is hefty.

    The updates to visitor verification and fees was announced in November by the Trump administration, which said that beginning Jan. 1 it would implement “America-first” entry fee policies.

    “U.S. residents will continue to enjoy affordable pricing, while nonresidents will pay a higher rate to help support the care and maintenance of America’s parks,” according to the announcement.

    When you present your pass, or if you purchase one at a park entrance, staff must ask for your identification and determine your citizenship status.

    According to an internal National Park Service directive obtained by the Washington Post, staffers are instructed to ask visiting groups, “How many people visiting are not U.S. citizens or residents?” The document also stated that “the fee collector does not need to check the identification of every visitor.”

    The Times reached out to staff at Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon national parks for comment; both parks referred questions to the National Park Service.

    When is Park Service staff checking a visitor’s citizenship status?

    You will only be asked your citizenship status, by way of ID verification, when buying or using an annual pass, officials say.

    “National Park Service staff are not checking immigration status, citizenship, or residency beyond what is necessary to confirm eligibility for a specific entrance fee or pass,” said Elizabeth Peace, spokesperson for the office of the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

    Peace told The Times in an email that the Park Service had “long required staff to confirm that the name on the interagency pass or fee-based credential matches a valid photo ID.”

    The agency’s updated policy is that all digital-pass holders must show a photo identification matching the name on the pass. Acceptable forms of ID include:

    • U.S. passport
    • U.S. state or territory-issued driver’s license
    • state ID
    • permanent residency card

    You can only use a U.S. birth certificate to validate your identity for an Access Pass, which is for residents who have a permanent disability.

    Visitors who do not have a U.S. government-issued ID will be asked to purchase a nonresident annual pass, Peace said. Those passes are much more costly.

    How much do the passes cost?

    The cost of an annual pass, which covers entrance to thousands of recreation areas but not other amenities including camping and parking is:

    • $80 for U.S. residents
    • $250 for nonresidents

    If a non-U.S. resident is looking to purchase a day-of entrance, it will cost an additional $100 on top of the regular admittance fee, which is $20 to $35.

    The increased fees have sparked controversy. The National Parks Conservation Assn. said it backs efforts to increase funding that will support parks but doesn’t want fees to become a barrier “that keeps people from experiencing America’s most iconic places.”

    “Charging international visitors more is not uncommon globally,” said Theresa Pierno, president of the association, in a letter to the Department of the Interior, “but any such policy must be designed thoughtfully to ensure it doesn’t cause barriers or even longer lines at entrances.”

    In its report, the Post noted that the fees had resulted in longer lines at parks.

    Another concern Pierno voiced was how the verification process would affect an already understaffed workforce.

    The National Park Service staff has been reduced by 24% since January of last year, which means fewer fee collectors and IT specialists who she said are needed as the new fees are implemented.

    Which parks are affected?

    The 11 parks that are subject to additional fees for those who are non-U.S. citizens include:

    1. Acadia
    2. Bryce Canyon
    3. Everglades
    4. Glacier
    5. Grand Canyon
    6. Grand Teton
    7. Rocky Mountain
    8. Sequoia & Kings Canyon
    9. Yellowstone
    10. Yosemite
    11. Zion

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    Karen Garcia

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  • Baby girl found dead outdoors near LAX

    Baby girl found dead outdoors near LAX

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    A 1-year-old girl was found dead Friday morning near Los Angeles International Airport, officials said.

    Personnel from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the area of South Sepulveda Boulevard and West Century Boulevard, near the entrance to the airport, just before 9:40 a.m. for a reported medical emergency.

    Emergency personnel found the infant, who was not breathing, and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate her.

    The 1-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The incident remains under investigation, but police officials said they had found “nothing nefarious” as of Friday evening.

    Police did not say whether the child was with family, caretakers or alone when she was found.

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    Christian Martinez

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  • Protesters blockade San Fernando Library, shut down drag queen story event

    Protesters blockade San Fernando Library, shut down drag queen story event

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    Dozens of protesters physically blocked the entrance to the San Fernando Library this week to stop a scheduled drag storytime reading event from taking place.

    Videos posted on social media showed a group of about 70 people — some of whom had previously attended similar demonstrations in North Hollywood, Glendale and elsewhere — wearing black-and-white shirts reading, “Leave our kids alone.” They chanted the same slogan through bullhorns while hurling verbal abuse and slurs at the guest reader.

    Story hours, during which drag queens read to children at venues such as libraries, schools and bookstores, have drawn fury and condemnation from conservatives and right-wing extremists across the country. Some events have been the subject of anti-LGBTQ+ threats and at times violent confrontations.

    Wednesday’s scheduled 30-minute event, which organizers said was intended to promote youth literacy, never took place.

    “What was meant to be a celebration of love and inclusion turned into the opposite,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, the event’s host, said in a statement Thursday.

    “Protesters claimed they want to keep children safe while pounding on walls, shouting obscenities and slurs toward my staff and library staff, and using strollers to blockade moving vehicles. The hypocrisy is astounding,” Horvath said.

    Horvath’s staff said in an email that the supervisor, who was inside the library, did not officially cancel the event. But it did not proceed because demonstrators “blockaded” entrances — denying entry to both library patrons and drag queen Pickle, the guest reader.

    Pickle, Los Angeles chapter president of the nonprofit Drag Story Hour, said she parked blocks away from the library “for safety reasons,” anticipating some hostility.

    Video footage showed that San Fernando police officers encircled Pickle near the rear entrance. The phalanx moved toward a metal gate but stopped short as some protesters screamed “pervert,” “pedophile” and “disgusting freak” at Pickle.

    About six to eight protesters refused to leave the entrance even after police issued a dispersal order, according to Pickle. The San Fernando Police Department did not confirm or deny whether such an order had been given.

    The drag performer said she and the police then attempted to move to the front entrance. As they walked, protesters blared car horns, refused to move and positioned nearby tables to block the front entryway, she said.

    “At this point, the police weren’t making arrests, they weren’t stopping the mob and they were allowing an unelected group of people to determine who could and who could not access a public building,” Pickle said. “Shame on the San Fernando police.”

    Pickle received a text from Horvath’s staff telling her to leave since she was unable to enter the building. After receiving a police escort back to her car, she did so.

    “They canceled the event and I can’t believe how they handled the situation,” Pickle said, referring to staff from the library and Horvath’s office. “This goes beyond hurt feelings. This is about civil rights and they shouldn’t have invited me down if they weren’t going to stand up for them.”

    Questions emailed to L.A. County Library personnel, who oversee the San Fernando Library, were not immediately answered Thursday.

    Pickle said she has attended about 50 drag story hour events, but this was the first canceled in person.

    A story hour she was scheduled to appear at in Glendale last spring was canceled ahead of time, and protesters also disrupted another of her storybook hours in Sherman Oaks in April.

    San Fernando Police Lt. Pete Aguirre said 10 officers were deployed to the library.

    Aguirre said no arrests were made and no assaults or property damage were reported.

    Aguirre said protesters began arriving at 10:30 a.m., with most staying until the event was terminated at noon. Others didn’t leave for another hour and engaged with a “small contingent of counter protesters.”

    “We weren’t able to get to the venue, but we ensured that the performer was not assaulted in any way and that they were able to leave the venue unharmed,” Aguirre said.

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    Andrew J. Campa

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