Current Electronic Angeles-Alerts
Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Email Bulletin Board

This list is managed by Johanna Zetterberg, Conservation Program Coordinator for the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, and was created to stay informed and communicate with each other about environmental issues in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, specifically activities in which the Sierra Club is involved. This list is announce-only. You can join the Angeles-Alerts email list here. Subscribers do not need to be Sierra Club members. 

Visit the archive of Angeles Chapter Alerts

How is Arnold doing?

By Bill Allayaud, Sierra Club California State Director

How did Arnold do on environmental bills in 2004?  First let me give you a little background.  He came into office saying "the environment? That will be no problem for me" or something to that effect.  He went on to say he believes that a strong economy and healthy environment are not in conflict, which are nice words to hear from a Republican leader.  When a group of representatives from the environmental community finally got to meet with him on August 11th, he said "I am your friend".  I wonder how many groups he has said that to?  But, I digress. He was a good listener as the various environmental advocates raised a variety of issues with him. On a few, he spoke out and agreed that these items should be priorities for the State.

Meanwhile, since he took office, he is piling up huge monetary contributions from corporations, has appointed a very mixed bag of people to high-up posts that affect the environment, has come out in support of Proposition 64, which we strongly oppose, hurt us on the budget last summer relative to getting more fees from polluters, and pushed the Hearst deal through the State agencies. 

Most recently, it has been revealed that his Department of Finance and the Public Works Board are holding up purchases of any new park land, despite the face that the State has the money to buy such land using voter-approved bond money. So, his intentions may be good, but his actions are not revealing him to be very "green."

Another measure of how he is doing could be how much of his "Environmental Action Plan" he is implementing. This plan was devised when he was campaigning for Governor, the main author being Terry Tamminen, now Secretary of Cal/EPA.
He was very busy with the budget, the March election (big bond measure), worker's comp reform, etc. this year, so he didn't get too far into the environmental issues.  And, to be fair, this action plan was not intended to be finished in a year.

We can look for him to introduce some kind of major initiative about housing and land use in his State of the State address in January.  The hydrogen highway, one of his campaign promises, is not going away.  Our hope is that he will become more of a leader next year, and make it "safe" for Republicans to support environmental bills.

By the end of August, the Legislature had put a number of environmental bills on his desk for signature.  While there were no blockbuster pieces of legislation this year, there were some significant measures that we wanted him to sign.  The result?  A mixed record.  Overall, his first year appears to be better than any recent Republican governor, but not as good as say Gray Davis's first years as far as legislation is concerned.

So, your lobbying team in Sacramento will continue to work with his administration, push him to be true to his Environmental Action Plan, expand that Plan, and bring his party along on environmental issues. It won't be easy, given his fund-raising proclivities, the pressure from his party, and the philosophy of some of his key advisors. But, as David Brower said, "politician are like weather vanes; our job is to make the wind blow."  We are pursing our lips...

Here is a summary of key bills that reached his desk.  The author and our position is noted along with what the bill does an if he signed or vetoed it.

AB 923 (Firebaugh)  Support.  This raises significant new money for the Carl Moyer program, helping to reduce emissions of dirty diesel engines. SIGNED

AB 2042 (Lowenthal)  Support.  Prohibits air pollution at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles from exceeding baseline levels.  VETOED

AB 2683 (Lieber)  Support.  Will repeal the 30-year rolling exemption that applies to the Smog Check and Smog Check II programs; therefore, cars built after 1974 will never be exempt from smog regulations. SIGNED

SB 1478 (Sher)  Support.  Makes numerous changes to the California Renewable Portfolio Standards Program and the Renewable Energy Program. VETOED

SB 1648 (Chesbro - Sierra Club CA Sponsor)  Support. Reforms the management of Jackson Demonstration State Forest in Mendocino County.  VETOED

SB 1369 (Kuehl - Sierra Club CA sponsor)  Support.  Increases the requirement for defensible space from 30' to 100' in the most fire-prone areas of the state.  SIGNED

SB 391 (Florez)  Support.  Requires the perpetrators of pesticide drift poisonings to compensate the victims.  SIGNED

AB 338 (Levine)   Support.  Requires CalTrans to use increasing levels of rubberized asphalt concrete made from recycled tires.  VETOED

AB 1369 (Pavley - Sierra Club CA sponsor)  Support.  Bans sale of mercury-added thermostats for residential and commercial use after Jan. 1, 2006.  SIGNED

AB 2901 (Pavley)  Support.  Requires the sellers of cell phones to take them back from consumers for recycling.  SIGNED

AB 2093 (Nakano), AB 2672 (Simitian), and AB 471 (Simitian)  Support all three.  These bills tighten up regulations for cruise ships entering state water for air and water emissions.  SIGNED all three.

AB 2055 (Wolk) Support.  Would strengthen the open space element in general plans, including emphasis on agriculture, urban parks, and habitat issues  VETOED

AB 2476 (Wolk) Support.  Would have the Delta Protection Commission look at land use impacts on key resource areas.  VETOED

AB 2572 (Kehoe - Sierra Club CA sponsor)  Support.  Requires water meters to be installed in Central Valley cities not covered by last year's bill, including the City of Sacramento  SIGNED

SB 1459 (Alpert)  Support.  Restricts bottom trawling in State waters. SIGNED

AB 2600 (Laird and Leslie) Support.  Creates the Sierra Nevada
Conservancy.  SIGNED

AB 2918 (Laird)  This bill deals with desalination of seawater and power plants.  We opposed the bill in its early form, but dropped opposition when it was amended to simply be a study.
SIGNED

Protect a Public Agency that Protects the Public

 

The Los Angeles Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), a public agency that was created to discourage urban sprawl, has recommended the dissolution of the Newhall County Water District (NCWD). The Sierra Club opposes this recommendation.

Why is this significant?

The Sierra Club supported NCWD Board Members for election based on their commitment to accurately report water supply availability in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Santa Clarita Valley is currently experiencing tremendous growth, and Sierra Club volunteers are fighting to protect Southern California’s last major wild river, the Santa Clara, from being swallowed up by sprawl development. Sprawl projects such as Newhall Ranch are being approved without proven water supplies to support them. One of the main sources of water for these developments is groundwater from the Santa Clara River, which is already overpumped.

Water figures used to support sprawl projects in the Santa Clarita Valley have been inflated. For example, water from wells currently closed due to perchlorate (a rocket fuel ingredient) contamination has been counted as “available” for new housing developments. Because water such as this exists on paper but cannot flow from the tap, it is called “paper water.”

The Newhall County Water District (NCWD) Board has been outspoken against counting polluted water as available and has demanded accurate water supply reporting to ensure residents have adequate supplies. The Sierra Club supported Resolution 2004-3 by the NCWD, which called for accurate water supply reporting by developers in the area our volunteers are working hard to save. Furthermore, the Newhall County Water District is the oldest water district in this area and the only elected ground water agency.

What can you do?

The Sierra Club is concerned that there may be a conflict of interest driving LAFCO’s proposal to dissolve the Newhall County Water District. The Executive Officer of LAFCO, Larry J. Calemine, has been allowed to continue to run an outside consulting business with various developers. It is our understanding that Shapell Industries is one of those developers and that they would be favorably affected by the dissolution of the Newhall County Water District as such a dissolution would eliminate any question over the adequacy of water supply. Further, the proposal seems to be pushed by developers who want to annex into the district even though the district had expressed concern over serving them.

You can help by writing a letter to the California Attorney General’s office asking for an investigation into this apparent conflict of interest. Please send your letter to:

Christine Sproul
Deputy Attorney General for the State of California
Office of the Attorney General
1300 I St. #125
PO Box 94455
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550

Here is a draft letter. You can change it to reflect your own personal viewpoints and write it in your voice.

Dear Ms. Sproul:

I am writing this letter to request that the Office of the Attorney General investigate the reasons and motives behind the proposal to dissolve the Newhall County Water District by the Los Angeles County LAFCO.

I support the Newhall County Water District’s Resolution 2004-3 to accurately report water supply availability. This is especially important in the Santa Clarita Valley, where groundwater is overpumped and polluted with perchlorate contamination.

If water supply is ever to be adequately evaluated by a local district, this action by the LA LAFCO must be investigated. Water districts will never step forward to represent the interests of the public if they will be threatened with dissolution for expressing such a concern.

It has come to my attention that this proposal may represent a serious conflict of interest by the LA LAFCO Executive Officer, Larry J. Calemine. This Officer has been allowed to continue an outside consulting business with various developers. It is my understanding that Shapell Industries is one of those developers and that they would be favorably affected by the dissolution of the Newhall County Water District as such a dissolution would eliminate any question over the adequacy of water supply.

I would greatly appreciate you looking into this matter.

Sincerely,
YOUR NAME

PROTECT CALIFORNIA'S WILD FORESTS!

Contact Gov. Schwartzenegger to protest his position on the Roadless Rule! Sierra Club needs your help in letting Governor Schwarzenegger know that large numbers of Californians oppose any changes in the landmark Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

The rule bans virtually all logging and roadbuilding in more than 58 million acres of wild roadless areas in our national forests, including 4.4 million acres in California's 18 national forests. In July, the Bush administration formally proposed repealing Pres.
Clinton's Roadless Rule and opening millions of acres of our last roadless places to harmful development.

California wildlands in places as widespread as the Los Padres, Sequoia, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests
would be in immediate jeopardy. These lands are an unblemished example of America's extraordinary
natural beauty, and provide vital habitat for many imperiled wildlife species, including the California condor, the Pacific fisher, and the goshawk. They also offer recreational opportunities that are increasingly
important, and are the purest source of the drinking water that national forests supply to 60 million Americans, including more than half of all Californians.

Governor Schwarzenegger's Resources Secretary apparently doesn't understand the value of California's roadless national forest areas. He responded to the federal proposal with a halfhearted letter that never
objected to the rollback of the roadless rule. The governor must express strong opposition right away, before the Bush administration finalizes its dangerous proposal.

Governor Schwarzenegger needs to hear directly from
Californians that his public and unequivocal support for the Roadless Ruleis essential.

PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. ASK THE GOVERNOR TO SUPPORT THE ROADLESS RULE FOR NATIONAL FORESTS!

CALL 916-445-4341 (Legislative Affairs office of Gov.)OR
916-445-2841 (main line).

IF YOU CAN'T CALL, SEND AN EMAIL. BELOW IS A SAMPLE...PERSONALIZE IT FROM YOUR OWN PERSPECTIVE!

EMAIL ADDRESS IS: governor@governor.ca.gov or click here to go to the Governor's website.

Sample email:

Subject: Protect California's roadless areas

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

I am very concerned that your administration has not yet formally objected to federal plans to remove the protections of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The rule protects some of the last untouched forests in
California, which provide vital wildlife habitat, irreplaceable recreational opportunities, and pristine sources of clean drinking water for millions of Californians. Many of these areas will be in immediate jeopardy from oil and gas leasing, logging and other harmful development if the Roadless Rule is done away with.

The Roadless Rule was developed after years of broad public process and careful scientific analysis. More than 97 percent of the public comments from Californians concerning this issue over the years have strongly supported the rule. Over 400,000 Californians have written to the federal government in support of retaining the existing rule.

I urge you to instruct your Resources Secretary to write a letter to the U.S. Forest Service immediately, clarifying that you support retaining the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and keeping wild forests of California wild and undeveloped. Please speak out to prevent the senseless elimination of this critical protection for the state's roadless National Forest wildlands.

Sincerely,
[Your name and address]

IF YOU HAVE TIME....
Write a letter to the editor of your local paper! Express how mystified you are at the Governor's taking this unpopular position, when over 400,000 Californians commented in support of keeping our wild forests wild. Urge the Governor to rethink his position and prevent oil drilling and clearcut logging on our National Forests. If you go online, most newspapers have a place where you can send your letter right there via email.

THANK YOU...for speaking out to protect our Wild Forests!!!

 

For more information on the Sierra Club campaign to protect Southern California forests, click here.

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