Congressman infuriates locals

Calif. congressman infuriates locals with response to Yosemite cuts

'Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and he's treating it like a chess piece'

By Ashley Harrell

Over the last several weeks, as Yosemite National Park fell into chaos due to the Trump administration’s whiplash-inducing executive orders and indiscriminate layoffs, people began asking what Rep. Tom McClintock was going to do about it. McClintock, a Republican, represents the 5th Congressional District, a sprawling Central California territory that contains Yosemite. He’s been conspicuously absent from town hall meetings in gateway towns and hasn’t been making public statements.

But on Thursday McClintock broke his silence and published an op-ed that infuriated park employees and gateway residents. Here’s his gist: The federal workforce is bloated. Only a few Yosemite employees got fired. The protesters are out of line. The park will be fine.

McClintock likened legitimate concerns about endangered species going extinct, devastating wildfires and public safety hazards to a “Ghostbusters” quote: “Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria,” he wrote.

He neglected to mention anything about the Trump administration suspending the park’s reservations system, which has been crucial to managing crowds and traffic congestion, and is silent on the employee credit card spending limit having been lowered to $1, meaning regional supervisors must now purchase items like toilet paper, hand soap and maintenance supplies.

The congressman emphasized that government spending must be reined in, stressing that every dollar of discretionary spending by the federal government is now borrowed. What he did not say is that the National Park Service requires less than one-fifteenth of 1 percent of the federal budget, or about $4.7 billion. Meanwhile, national parks added $56.5 billion to the economy in 2023, according to a park service report, and provided 415,400 jobs in nearby communities.

McClintock did address the staffing cuts but downplayed the significance. “So, what is the actual number of layoffs at Yosemite National Park that will bring this beautiful Valley to rack and ruin? Ten. Ten probationary employees. Ten out of nearly 500 full-time winter employees,” he wrote. “Twenty-five if you include early retirements. And no fire fighters.”

Twenty-five out of 500 employees amounts to 5% of the workforce of an already understaffed park with skyrocketing visitation. In 2024, 4,121,807 people visited Yosemite, making it the most visited national park in California.

For Alex Wild, a former Yosemite wilderness ranger, it’s frustrating to see an elected official making light of the recent firings and failing to acknowledge what he described as “myriad threats to the park.”

Wild is one of the employees who were terminated on Valentine’s Day during their probationary period, which refers to new hires in their first one or two years of employment, or to longer-term employees who recently transitioned to a new position.  

“These 10 essential positions were removed illegally citing performance issues, which is blatantly false,” Wild told SFGATE in an email. “These employees have documented exceptional and outstanding performance reviews.”

One of those employees was Nate Vince, the park’s only locksmith. Vince had started his job 48 weeks earlier and apprenticed for four years under the park’s previous locksmith. He was the one who made the keys, fixed the locks, installed the locks and knew all there was to know about park security.  

McClintock had this to say about Vince’s termination: “Is the park so poorly managed that only one employee has keys to restrooms serving the 748,000-acre national park? Apparently.”

That assumption is wrong, Wild told SFGATE. “It’s not true that only one person has keys to the park,” he said. “But he was the only locksmith employed. This is a specialized and necessary position for a park of this size.”

In another rhetorical question, McClintock asked how many of Yosemite’s employees are working from home. “We don’t know,” he answered himself, “because the park management won’t tell us … Need to find the nearest unlocked restroom? Just e-mail them.”

Yosemite Climbing Association founder Ken Yager, who has worked closely alongside park service employees for decades, found that part of the op-ed especially ridiculous. “There’s boots on the ground every day,” Yager said, but also, there are many park service roles that require employees to be outside of the park — or working from home computers — from time to time.

“Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and he's treating it like a chess piece,” Yager said.

Although McClintock presents himself as a supporter of businesses in Yosemite’s gateway communities, at least one business owner was deeply unimpressed with his op-ed. “It’s just so brazenly dismissive,” said Elisabeth Barton, a founding member of Echo Adventure Cooperative, a tour operator near the park.

Barton felt that McClintock’s op-ed “prioritizes short-term visitor enjoyment over long-term preservation, which directly contradicts the park service’s mission,” she said. “Without proper protection, education and research, there will be little left for future visitors to enjoy.”

Aside from the op-ed, Barton was disappointed that McClintock failed to show up for a town hall in Sonora on Feb. 24, she said, where 100 people were waiting for him. Yager had a similar complaint.

“He was supposed to speak in Mariposa, where I live, on a Thursday not that long ago, and he canceled,” Yager said. “I think he’s afraid to talk to his constituents. He’s a coward.”