Valentine Day Present to OHV - CA State Auditor Releases Park Scandal Report

The state auditor released its report today on the infamous state park scandal regarding the 54M dollar slush fund.   After doing an initial quick review of the 60 page report, HQ believes it shows that agenda-driven “sloppy accounting” had become institutionalized at State Parks and has existed for several decades and through many administrations.

Link to State Auditor Report

http://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2012-121.1.pdf

 

HQ believes that an ‘accounting subculture’ comprised of non-appointed 2^nd and 3^rd tier bureaucrats

had devised this scheme to create an internal slush fund for reasons not clearly identified in the 60-page report.
 

OHV recreationists owe a great deal of thanks for the work that OHV lobbyist Terry McHale did last year along with a number of OHV representatives.  The OHV program in 2013 is in much better shape because of those efforts.

 

Link to video and other info in last year’s scandal fight in Sac.

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2012/08/ca-ohv-trust-fund-battle-remains-hot.html
 

The only good news in this story is that Governor Brown has appointed General Anthony Jackson to bring accountability and transparency to Parks. 

 

QWR/Amador blog on the appointment of General Jackson

http://quietwarriorracing.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-new-ca-state-park-director-service.html
 

HQ believes that the final chapter on this issue has yet to be written.  Also, we want to thank all of you who sent in letters and made phone calls last year to the Governor’s Office – it did make a difference!

 

See you on the trail.

 

Don

 

July 29 Bike Week Radio Features DPR Cabal/Scandal

HQ’s – Don Amador – was on Bike Week Radio on July 29 talking with Scott Cox and the gang about the ongoing budget scandal at CA State Parks.   We covered a lot of issues related directly or indirectly with this issue.  Topics included; culture of corruption at DPR,  institutional bias at DPR against OHV,  wild variances from year to year of funds coming (or not coming) to OHV,  CA Parks Foundation/Green cabal, anti-OHV scheme to defund OHV program and then sue when trails are not maintained,  the look-the-other-way credo at DPR, etc.

This is a hard hitting interview with NO punches pulled.  BE ADVISED – it is not for the weak of heart or for those who do not want to believe that hard-core anti-OHV groups are scheming to get motorized recreation  banned on public lands

My interview runs from 33.24 to 45.37.  The hosts also discussed the issue between themselves until the close of the program – Good on them… they get it!

Click Here to Listen to the July 29 Bike Week Radio Archived Show

http://www.bikeweekradioshow.com/archive.html

Thanks for your support!

CA Parks Foundation Insults OHV in LA Times Article

The comment made by the director of the California State Parks Foundation, Elizabeth Goldstein, about off-road recreationists being her “Children” is really one of the most astounding and arrogant comments I have heard in the last 25 years during my work in the land-use arena.

July 27, 2012 LA Times Article on State Park Budget Scandal with Goldstein’s Comment

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-parks-20120727,0,3856220.story

Karen Schambach’s comment in the same article about the OHV program having large reserves is equally insulting and disingenuous.  What Karen does not tell you is that her group and other anti-OHV organizations and their local counterparts have successfully blocked efforts by the OHV Program and OHV Commission to site new OHV parks throughout the state to meet their legislative mandate to provide high quality motorized recreation for the users.

During the 1990s when I was on the OHV Commission, we worked hard on finding locations in various parts of the state.   New SVRAs were proposed in Humboldt and San Diego Counties and everywhere in between.  However, green NIMBY groups blocked us every step of the way. Greens continued their blocking efforts during the 2000s.

Riders should not be fooled by the faux outrage being articulated by Elizabeth Goldstein, Karen Schambach and other anti-OHV groups and their supporters in the legislature.  The Sustainable Parks Initiative was a not so cleverly disguised direct attack on the OHV Program with a particularly sharp hit on the grants program… all designed to degrade management of OHV recreation to a point where Karen and PEER could then sue to have the area shut down.  (e.g. Carnegie SVRA,  Eldorado NF, etc.)

Although OHV recreation continues to grow and prosper in other states and regions of the country, motorized recreationists have a very tough fight ahead of us in CA.  The good news is that I believe anti-OHV groups, on a national basis, have already reached their zenith (circa 1990s) and are on the way downhill in their ability to kill motorized recreational activity.

The battle in CA will require OHV leadership to think and act outside of the box and to focus sharply on more effective ways of defeating our political opponents.

Thanks for your continued diligence and support!

Green Park Groups Fear Blowback from DPR Scandal

HQ Commentary by Don Amador

The Recreation HQ believes the article published today by the SacBee regarding how certain Park-related non-profits is really on target.

July 25, 2012, SacBee Article on Fear Striking Park-related Non-Profits

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/23/4653238/state-park-groups-fret-over-secret.html
 

I believe the CA Parks Foundation and other park-related non-profits should be afraid of public outrage and blowback from the OHV community because of their Sustainable Parks Initiative that was based on a lie.  That plan had as its “foundation block” the complete evisceration of the OHV Program and its grants program to federal and county partners.

I personally believe that certain non-profits are in fact nothing more than stealth branches of the Department of Parks and Recreation.  This scandal proves that abuse by Parks of the OHV Trust Fund has become institutionalized and has been an accepted way of doing business.

Further proof of OHV being nothing more than a political football to be kicked around by green groups and their friends at DPR was also highlighted in a 2005 audit of the program by the Bureau of State Audits.  *They only scratched the surface in my opinion.

That report had a lot to do with OHV leadership pushing for a complete overhaul of the OHV program that was set to expire on Jan. 1, 2008.  That effort in 2007 resulted in SB742, the new CA OHV Program.

 

BRC News Release on OHV Being a Political Football (with a link to the 2005 BSA Audit)

http://www.sharetrails.org/news/2005/12/14/ohv-groups-call-disbandment-ca-ohv-commission
 

Just where this ends up is uncertain.  But be assured that this issue has lot of riders fired up and let’s hope we can turn that energy into something positive for OHV.

# # #

Amador County Sends Letter to Gov. Brown

BLM's Samoa Dunes on Trust Fund Raid Hit List

As the Governor and Legislature discuss the budget (behind closed doors) today, HQ wants to share another letter from county officials asking Governor Brown to oppose any raid on the OHV Trust Fund’s grant program.

June 14, 2012 Letter from Amador County

http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Amador_letter_OHV_Letter_of_Support.pdf

HQ wants to thank riders in other counties such as Humboldt County who are contacting their County Supervisors asking them to contact Governor Brown.

Please continue FAXing in your letters and letters from local government officials.

HQ Alert with FAX numbers and other info

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2012/06/hq-in-field-june-8-10-and-update-on-ohv.html

Keep up the pressure!

Continue Pounding the Gov. on OHV Trust Fund Raid

HQ wants to urge all CA public land users, related businesses, and other stakeholders to continue pounding the Governor’s Office with requests for him to line-item veto any raid on the OHV Trust Fund that would gut the local assistance grants program.

 HQ believes your efforts are going to be the key to stopping the raid.  We also applaud the many counties who in a bipartisan effort, in many cases, have written letters to Governor Brown asking him to spare the OHV grants program.

Here is a June 12 Letter from San Benito County regarding the trust fund

http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/San_Benito_co_letter_to_gov.pdf

Please continue to FAX in letters using info from a recent Alert.

FAX Alert to Gov. Brown

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2012/06/hq-in-field-june-8-10-and-update-on-ohv.html

Thanks to all of you who have worked hard on this statewide all-hands-on-deck effort to SAVE our program.

Raley's Supermarket to Rescue CA State Park Budget Mess?

Official HQ/BRC Land Use Battle Wagon

The Recreation HQ was encouraged recently when it read about Raley’s effort to raise funds to help keep regular California State Parks in the black.

Fresno Bee Article on Supermarket Fundraiser
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/07/02/2451584/raleys-to-donate-a-nickel-to-california.html

For several years, HQ has been encouraging California State Parks that the best way to keep regular parks open is to think out-side-of-box and make their program more relevant and self-sustaining. HQ also cautioned state park leadership and the legislature against continuing to lean on OHV Trust Fund monies as a “fiscal crutch.”

March 10,2010 Blog on Encouraging Parks to Become Relevant and Use Creative Ways to Stay Open
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/03/california-state-parks-initiative-18.html

Please take the poll in the upper left hand corner of this blog page. The idea for ads and coupons that could be placed in state park mailings came to me as an idea when I opened some correspondence from the U.S Postal Service and they had a number of local ads. Several of which I intend to take advantage of.

Feel free to share your ideas on how State Parks can stay in the black.

Thanks in advance for your service and ideas!

TAKE CA STATE PARKS EXCELLENCE SURVEY

The Recreation HQ is asking riders to participate in a survey regarding the California State Park System (which includes a number of SVRAs). This Parks Excellence Survey is being conducted by the California State Parks Foundation. The General believes it is important for you to take a few minutes to fill out this is 29 question online survey.

If you are like The General, your family visits both motorized and non-motorized state parks units throughout the year. This survey has questions that pertain to both.

The General has already taken the survey and now asks that you and your friends do the same. The Foundation is a large and effective champion for State Parks and they need to hear your voice.

Link to the Survey
http://www.calparks.org/takeaction/parkexcellence/

Link to the CSPF Website
http://www.calparks.org/

The Recreation HQ thanks you in advance to taking a few minutes to fill out the survey.