Dear San Onofre State Beach Supporter,
We know how much you cherish your Parks...and we've got some news for you.
The past few weeks have been very interesting for the California State Parks system. Two very important bills (that Surfrider actively supported during the legislative season) passed out of the Assembly and Senate and are now sitting on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. He has until Oct 11 to sign. SB 679 (Wolk) protects Parks by setting a requirement that parklands used for "non-park purposes" must be replaced by other park lands that are of equal environmental, recreational, and fair market value.
SB 372 (Kehoe) simply requires the Legislature to make a final decision about allowing any non-park use in a state park system (i.e. the Legislature finally has a say in horrible projects like a toll road through a state park).
Please take a minute and urge the Governor to sign the bills.
Finally, as you may have heard last week, the Governor released a statement saying the State would avoid permanently closing several state parks. In the statement, he also proposed major changes to the state park system in order to "close some of the budget gap". While it's fantastic news parks will not be permanently closed, some parks will be partially or seasonally closed. He also proposed major reductions in seasonal staff, reductions in hours of operation at most state parks, and reduced maintenance.
This all means having fewer lifeguards on state beaches, poorly maintained facilities (i.e. restrooms, kiosks, etc), that will inevitably impact the health and safety of our parks. Our friends at the California State Parks Foundation say it best:
"We all want to see our state parks open, and it's been the efforts of advocates that have kept the Governor's feet to the fire since late May. But California State Parks Foundation isn't fully celebrating this news yet. While the Governor has found a clever way to get political cover on this issue, it's not clear that this plan won't actually leave Californians with just as limited access to their state parks as if they had been fully closed".
Review their statement for more news on park closures.
Be sure to check out the Save Trestles homepage . (which has become the default location for Surfrider's work on Park Protection) after Oct 11 to see if the Governor signed the bills!
Your Friends at Surfrider
We know how much you cherish your Parks...and we've got some news for you.
The past few weeks have been very interesting for the California State Parks system. Two very important bills (that Surfrider actively supported during the legislative season) passed out of the Assembly and Senate and are now sitting on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. He has until Oct 11 to sign. SB 679 (Wolk) protects Parks by setting a requirement that parklands used for "non-park purposes" must be replaced by other park lands that are of equal environmental, recreational, and fair market value.
SB 372 (Kehoe) simply requires the Legislature to make a final decision about allowing any non-park use in a state park system (i.e. the Legislature finally has a say in horrible projects like a toll road through a state park).
Please take a minute and urge the Governor to sign the bills.
Finally, as you may have heard last week, the Governor released a statement saying the State would avoid permanently closing several state parks. In the statement, he also proposed major changes to the state park system in order to "close some of the budget gap". While it's fantastic news parks will not be permanently closed, some parks will be partially or seasonally closed. He also proposed major reductions in seasonal staff, reductions in hours of operation at most state parks, and reduced maintenance.
This all means having fewer lifeguards on state beaches, poorly maintained facilities (i.e. restrooms, kiosks, etc), that will inevitably impact the health and safety of our parks. Our friends at the California State Parks Foundation say it best:
"We all want to see our state parks open, and it's been the efforts of advocates that have kept the Governor's feet to the fire since late May. But California State Parks Foundation isn't fully celebrating this news yet. While the Governor has found a clever way to get political cover on this issue, it's not clear that this plan won't actually leave Californians with just as limited access to their state parks as if they had been fully closed".
Review their statement for more news on park closures.
Be sure to check out the Save Trestles homepage . (which has become the default location for Surfrider's work on Park Protection) after Oct 11 to see if the Governor signed the bills!
Your Friends at Surfrider
posted by SOCsurfrider at
3:05 PM
0 Comments
Friday, September 25, 2009
Poll: What should the county do at polluted Poche Beach?
posted by SOCsurfrider at
9:46 AM
0 Comments
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Laguna Beach ordered to pay $70,000 for massive sewage spill
LAGUNA BEACH – The largest sewer spill in the city's history will cost the city $70,000 in fines according to a state water board.
The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board – a state regulatory agency that oversees water quality in the state's regions from Laguna Beach south – has assessed an administrative penalty against the city stemming from a Bluebird Canyon sewage spill that released 590,000 gallons of sewage into the ocean last October.
City Manager Ken Frank said he is not surprised by the fine given that it was a major spill.
"I will recommend to the council not to fight it," he said. ""It reflects the fact that we are spending a lot of money to upgrade the system. Everyone is recognizing the city is making an extraordinary effort to retrofit the sewer system."
Continue...
The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board – a state regulatory agency that oversees water quality in the state's regions from Laguna Beach south – has assessed an administrative penalty against the city stemming from a Bluebird Canyon sewage spill that released 590,000 gallons of sewage into the ocean last October.
City Manager Ken Frank said he is not surprised by the fine given that it was a major spill.
"I will recommend to the council not to fight it," he said. ""It reflects the fact that we are spending a lot of money to upgrade the system. Everyone is recognizing the city is making an extraordinary effort to retrofit the sewer system."
Continue...
posted by SOCsurfrider at
8:35 PM
0 Comments
