Prop 21 Supporter (Creative Commons)

Motorists would have had to pay the surcharge to fund the preservation of state parks, beaches and recreational lands to keep them operating, clean and properly maintained.

The money collected from the tax would have entered a trust fund called the California State Parks and Conservation Trust Fund--with supporters assuring that the money would have been spent solely on state land. 

The surcharge would have added about $500 million to the present state park operations annual budget of $439 million.

California motorists would have received free admission to all state parks, which currently charge anywhere from $5 to $ 13 per person.

"We really do think this is fair…People like a cause they care about, an amount of money they understand and getting something back for it,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation.

To reach reporter Marlise Knechtle, click here.