The Bee’s Sunday editorial (4/14/2013) once again misstates my position on several issues, this time pertaining to Yosemite Valley.

The Bee reports that I oppose legislation to purchase an additional 1,600 acres of land adjacent to park boundaries.  In fact, the Bee was clearly informed I have not taken a position on that bill and will not do so until I can see the property and understand its role in the Park’s mission and operations. 

The Bee attacks my concerns over a bill that would relocate Yosemite Park visitor services from the park to an 18-acre facility some 30 miles outside the park in Mariposa.  Although that may be popular in Mariposa, it is strongly opposed by many officials and residents of surrounding gateway communities that are just as dependant on Yosemite tourism as Mariposa and would be severely disadvantaged as a result.  The Natural Resources Committee has made it clear that no legislation will proceed without the agreement of all gateway communities, and I am working with those communities on a compromise that is fair to all.

What would truly devastate the economy of the region is the National Park Service plan to remove many tourist amenities from the park, including bicycle and raft rentals, snack facilities, horse stables, swimming pools, the art center, the ice-skating rink at Curry Village, and the historic Sugar-Pine Bridge.  Yet the Bee attacks my opposition to this plan in the most strident terms.

Indeed, the Bee quoted my statement, “Yosemite belongs to the American people, and the Park Service’s job is to welcome them and accommodate them when they visit their park – not restrict and harass them,” and then equated it to “making Yosemite employees sound like Gestapo agents.”  This should give every reader a clear insight into the extremism, hyperbole and unreality that dominates the views of this newspaper’s editorial board.

Finally, the editorial charges, “We attempted to talk to McClintock – to ask him why he opposes the Mariposa visitors center and the park expansion … He rebuffed our requests.”  In fact, our office responded to every written request from Stuart Leavenworth, Editorial Page Editor, providing him with links to answer every issue he raised, and asked him if he had any more questions after reading the material, which he did not.

I hope Mr. Leavenworth will forgive me for not speaking with him and several of his more partisan colleagues at the Bee directly, but I hope they can understand that their objectivity, balance and accuracy are open to some doubt.