CARNEGIE SVRA - Post Alameda County BOS Meeting Update - You Get Who You Vote For

Don Getting Ready to Enter the Political Arena

The Recreation HQ wants to thank all of you who sent in letters and/or attended the Alameda County Board of Supervisor’s meeting today in Oakland.

The proceedings today reminded me of an old political adage… “You get what/who you vote for.”   It was clear from the outset that the board had already made up its mind to support the staff letter. 

Dad and Kids Speak in Favor of Carnegie

What was different about today’s board meeting is that both sides of the debate showed up in force.  There was a great turnout by OHV groups and regular folks who spoke in favor of the Carnegie SVRA General Plan.

Dave Pickett, AMA D36, Speaks to Board

Besides the OHV group representatives, there was a family of Carnegie riders that supported the plan.  There were also two female environmental activists who were also dirt bike riders who said they reviewed the plan and felt it was a good general plan.  A rider in his leather jacket made a special trip just to speak in favor of the general plan.

Interested Rider Speaks in Favor of Carnegie General Plan

Both the board and board staff made it perfectly clear to the audience that the state is the lead agency and that all they can do is basically comment on what they feel are the plan’s deficiencies and where it appears to be in conflict with the county’s regulations and open space policy.

Board President, Scott Haggerty, told the audience that he used to ride dirt bikes in the old days and that his current stance on OHV can be a source of trouble during the holiday season when pro-OHVers in the family take him to task on his anti-access political views.

Haggerty also lamented that the former state legislators (Mark DeSaulnier and Joan Buchanan) failed to kill the Carnegie plan when they were in office.  Nice!

AMA's Nick Haris Speaks to the Board 

  

At the end of the day, this is all political.  I don’t think anybody expected the board to burn political capital by voting in favor of the general plan even though it was pointed out to them that the East Bay Regional Park District provides NO OHV recreation.

HQ looks forward to this fall when the Final General Plan (once reviewed by Division) is submitted to the OHV Commission for an up or down vote.  It is that political body that has the statutory authority to decide the fate of the expansion area and the future of OHV at Carnegie.

*Groups at the Meeting: AMA Dist. 36, AMA, BRC, CAL4WD, CORVA, and QWR.

Support YOUR Favorite CA OHV Grant Projects - Comment Period Ends April 6, 2015

OHV Grant Supported OHV Bridge

Tahoe NF

The Recreation HQ is back in 2015 with one of our first alerts and that is in regards to letting your voice be heard when it comes to support for the CA OHV Grant Program.

OHV Restoration Grant

Mendocino NF

The CA OHV Grant Program provides critical funding to help augment congressional appropriations for OHV recreation on federal lands.  Having served on the Region 5 Recreation Resource Advisory Committee and OHMVR Commission, I can attest to the important role the grant program plays to ensure that OHV recreation remains a viable activity on FS/BLM lands and county parks.  Managing sustainable OHV recreation in the 21^st Century requires an “all hands approach” which includes grants, appropriated funds, and volunteerism.

OHV Grant for Signs/Safety

BLM Samoa Dunes Recreation Area

The OHMVR Division has made it easy to comment by going to the link below.  The comment period ends on April 6, 2015. This period provides an opportunity for the public to review and provide comments to the preliminary applications submitted to the OHMVR Division for consideration during the 2014/15 grant cycle.

LINK to Comments

http://olga.ohv.parks.ca.gov/egrams_ohmvr/user/home.aspx

OHV Grant to Reopen Youngs Corral Bypass

Mendocino NF

Remember this is your program and your letter shows both support for the applicants and the OHMVR Division grant staff that works hard to administer the process.

Thanks!

Don

BREAKING OHV NEWS IN CA - OHV Grant Amounts Revised Up for 2012/2013 Grant Cycle Today

The Recreation HQ is very happy to announce that OHMVRD has revised the grant awards for the 2012/13 grants cycle.  The revision today will help fund many important OHV projects and programs related to Operations and Maintenance, Restoration, Education, and Law Enforcement.  If my math is correct, the grants program has been revised up from 10M to about 30M.  VERY GOOD NEWS!

 

Many of you remember the fierce budget fight last year with the legislature where OHV groups fought hard with politicians in an effort to challenge the 10M cap they placed on the 2012/2013 grant cycle. 

 

Link to 2012 Budget Fight (Dark Days Ahead blog)

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2012/05/dark-days-ahead-for-ca-ohv-program.html

 

HQ believes the grant revision today was made possible – in large part - to the grassroots effort to by users, advocates, local elected officials, conservationists, and others to champion our program to the legislature and Governor Brown.  HQ also thanks our OHV lobbyist, Terry McHale, for his hard work on this issue too!

 

HQ urges grant applicants that had not been awarded grants for this cycle to please go to the OHMVR grant website and see if your grant got funded.  Again, this is very good news for a lot of units in rural areas where grant support is crucial for resource management and to help bolster the local economy.

 

Link to Revised Grant Awards

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1164

 

Thanks again to all of you who worked hard last year in support of the OHV program!

 

CA OHV Grant Comments Ends TODAY - Many Riding Areas Have NO Comments

The Recreation HQ wants to remind OHVers in CA to be sure and comment on OHV grants related to your favorite riding areas.   This is YOUR chance to get engaged with the OHV program in a substantive manner.    The public comment periods ends TODAY at end of business.

 

Many popular riding areas and related grant applicants have not received a SINGLE comment from the user community.  The following link will take you to the full list of OHV grant applicants for the 2012/2013 grant cycle.  You can’t complain about the legislature taking money from the program if you are not willing to send in a comment letter.   To date, very popular riding areas such as Chappie Shasta, Cow Mountain, and the Samoa Dunes have not gotten a single comment!  Please write your support letter today!

Link to OHV grant applicants who have or have not received public comments (those who have received public comment are noted in blue)

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27308

 

The Recreation HQ issued an alert about this earlier and it has links and instructions that will get you to the comment section for the preliminary OHV grants.  Send in your comments today and urge your rider network to do the same.   

 

Link to grant comment alert with instructions

http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2013/03/reviewcomment-on-ca-ohv-grants.html

 

Thanks for taking time to be engaged in the CA OHV program.

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.

CODE RED CA ACTION ALERT - Stop Raid on OHV Trust Fund

HQ wants to thank all those riders and groups who helped rally the troops for the May 9 hearing on the proposal by two state senators to gut the OHV grants program.  Your calls raised the temperature on this ill-concieved plan so the legislature postponed it until May 23.

HQ urges OHVers to use the BRC alert today and send emails and make phone calls to your own state legislators asking them not to support the proposed taking of $21 million from the OHV Trust Fund.  Ask them to protect the “Trust” in the Trust Fund.

BRC Alert (emails and calls needed  today, tomorrow, and Wednesday)

BRC CALIFORNIA ACTION ALERT

TELL STATE LEGISLATORS TO PROTECT THE "TRUST" IN THE OHV TRUST FUND

MAKE CALLS AND SEND EMAILS TODAY IN TIME FOR MAY 23 HEARING

YOUR voice is needed to STOP a proposal by two state senators to gut the OHV grant's program.  Their plan to take $21 million from the OHV Trust Fund will basically zero out monies available for grants to maintain FS and BLM trails, to support local county sheriffs and other OHV-related law enforcement, to fund county OHV parks, and to restore degraded trails to a natural condition.

May 17 News Article on Trust Fund Raid

http://www.highlandnews.net/articles/2012/05/17/opinion/columns/doc4fb536f8d7128626679448.txt

During the May 9 hearing on this issue, a large number of trail users, OHV organizations, rural interests, and outdoor recreation businesses expressed strong opposition to the current proposal by budget committee chairman, Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). You and your friends must do the same thing for the hearing on May 23.

Here are some key bullet points to make when talking with your legislator:

•              OHV Grant Program is a program that works.  The clarity is such that we understand the funding; we know where the money is coming from and how that money is spent.

•              It works and it works effectively.

•              40 years ago, Republican and Democrat legislators realized that people within the Parks System did not appreciate off-highway vehicle recreation.  Consequently, OHV was given some autonomy within Parks and an OHV Division was created.

•              These visionary leaders wanted a strong, organized program that included law enforcement, the remediation of land and education with an understanding of where you can recreate legally.  It works.

•              It makes no sense to move the money from the OHV Trust Fund to Parks.

Ask your legislator to oppose Senator Simitian's proposal to take trust fund monies from the OHV Trust Fund.  Remind them these are funds are generated 100% from the users who recreate off-road.

Our good friends at Cal4WD have created an easy to use alert where you may contact your state legislator.

http://www.cal4wheel.com/action-center

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HQ's Don Amador sent his own personal letter today to Senators Simitian, Lowenthal, and DeSaulnier (Mark DeSaulnier is my own senator)

HERE IS LETTER FOR YOUR REVIEW

May 21, 2012

Senator Simitian

State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 92449

RE: Don’t Betray the “Trust” on the OHV Trust Fund

Dear Senator Simitian:

I write to you today as a California native and a strong supporter of the California Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Program. And, I urge you not to betray the public “trust”  by taking $21 million dollars of  user-pay/user-benefit monies from the OHV Trust Fund and diverting it into State Parks.

As a teenager in the late 1960s-70s, I remember filling out a state gas tax refund form where I got a refund from the state treasurer based on the amount of fuel I used when driving my OHV off-road (non-paved dirt roads). I also remember the promise made to me by the proponents of the Chappie-Z’berg Act of 1971 (that established the California OHV Program) that they would use these dedicated “trust” funds to manage motorized recreation. I trusted them.

Over the years, that trust has been betrayed on a number of occasions by both Republican and Democrat officials. In fact, there have been two lawsuits filed by the OHV community that successfully challenged the state government’s legal authority to raid the OHV Trust Fund.

As a member of the negotiating team (OHV, environmentalists, legislature, Governor’s Office) that met throughout the summer of 2007 to hammer out SB742 (the new OHV Program), I remember the group worked hard to make sure that protecting the “trust” in the OHV Trust Fund was a key statutory tenet of that legislation.

Today, I urge your committee to not betray the public-trust again by taking OHV money that is not yours to take.

Sincerely,

Don

Don Amador

California Native
555 Honey Lane
Oakley, CA 94561
Phone: 925.625.6287
Email: damador@cwo.com

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It is a good idea to also send a letter to Senator's Simitian and Lowenthal as well.

Senator Simitian
heather.scott@sen.ca.gov

Senator Lowenthal
senatorlowental@sen.ca.gov
john.casey@sen.ca.gov

Thanks in advance for your service!

Cuts to CA OHV Program? -- May Revise Today

As HQ and OHVers brace for the release of the Governor’s May Revise today at 11 am, it will be important to watch for proposed tax increases and cuts to the CA OHV Program.


May 16 AP Article on May Revise and Budget
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Brown-likely-to-press-for-taxes-in-budget-update-1381097.php

It will be interesting to see just how big the cuts will be to the OHV Program. My fear (which I hope is not realized, but is based on Feb. budget battle) is that we could see a proposed cut of at least 50% to the $64 million dollar a year program (SVRAs, admin. and grants). That would cut the grants program from about $27 million dollars/yr. to approx. $13 million dollars. A similar size cut to the admin/SVRA side would result in impacts to SVRAs and the agency’s ability to administer the grants program and OSV program.

Review/Blog of Feb. OHV Budget Fight (Alert because the entire program was at risk)
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2011/02/defcon-one-alert-to-ca-ohv-community.html


Of interest are the “triggers” included in some of the past loans taken (stolen) from the OHV Trust Fund that basically states -- "if budget cuts seriously impact the OHV program the borrowed funds have to be returned immediately to the Trust Fund."

HQ does not know just how solid those triggers are since the legislature can invent new rules as they see fit by simply writing a new law that exempts them from past promises.

Stay tuned over the summer months, as the temperature is sure to rise both outside and inside of the State Capitol.

HQ WEEKEND UPDATE - Newspaper Highlights Raid on OHV Trust Fund

For the last several months, HQ has posted alerts, information, and narratives about government officials taking (some call it stealing) money from the user-pay/user-benefit CA OHV Trust Fund.


There have been hearings, letter writing campaigns, and other efforts to challenge the ongoing thefts from the OHV Trust Fund. There have also been a newspaper article or opinion piece or two on this subject but they have not clearly identified the OHV program as being completed user funded.

The goods news on the media front is that a local newspaper in the Lake Tahoe area got the story straight - for the most part -with interviews from the BRC, Tahoe Sierra OHV Club, and OHMVR Division.

March 27, 2011 Tahoe Daily Tribune
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20110327/NEWS/110329919/1056&parentprofile=1056


Anyway, HQ thanks all of you who made the effort to defend the OHV Trust Fund.

April 4 Deadline for Public Comments on 2010/2011 CA OHV Grants - Send Letter Today

The Recreation HQ wants to remind the OHV community about the rapidly approaching April 4 deadline for the public comment period on the 2010/2011 OHV grant cycle. HQ believes it is important for local users and clubs to weigh in with support letters, letters that offer a critique, or even letters of opposition if needed.


Info and Overview of the CA 2010/2011 Grants Cycle/Public Comment Period
http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1164

Please take time to review the list of grant applicants (counties, FS, BLM, non-profits, etc) who have submitted grants and where the public has commented on them.

Review of Grant Applicants who have received public comments (they are highlighted)
http://www.ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26540

The grant comment system is a bit complex and you have to read the instructions linked below to maneuver your way through the grant website to find a specific grant to comment on. The instructions are linked to below:

Important Instructions on how to access and review preliminary grant applications
http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/grants_public_comment_directions.pdf

You can try this link that I believe with take allow you to follow a number of steps and go directly to the list of preliminary grant applications – click on “grant program” drop down and then highlight “GCA-10” and then click on “Find” (it may not work and you have to go thru the above steps in the above links)
http://134.186.25.134/user/ReviewProjects.aspx

Don Amador, on behalf of BRC, has submitted comment letters (Six Rivers, Mendocino, Ukiah/Arcata BLM) today on several riding areas that it he is familiar with. Generally, national organizations do not write grant support letters for local units because it is better for users with site-specific knowledge to make those comments.

QWR may also be sending in some comments on specific grants.

HQ encourages you to take a few minutes and send in a comment letter. Please fwd this information to your rider network.

Thanks for your involvement.

DEFCON ONE Alert to CA OHV Community - Stop Weekend Raid on OHV Trust Fund

CA OHV COMMUNITY PLACED ON DEFCON ONE ALERT STATUS THRU WEEKEND

After the California Budget Conference Committee’s discussion today about the fiscal future of the CA OHV Program, the Recreation HQ is issuing its first DEFCON ONE ALERT.

Folks, the Committee postponed a vote to steal the money today but will be meeting between now and over the weekend until they decide how much money they want to take from the OHV Trust Fund. I heard from one government staffer who witnessed bogus testimony from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office staff about how they have a right to steal dedicated funds. This person said it was the most embarrassing display of bad government they had ever seen.


HQ believes these proposals to steal money from the OHV Program is a gross violation of the public trust and betrays both the spirit and intent of SB742. How can they ever ask the OHV community and OHV leaders to work with them in a collaborative manner if they do this? Nobody I know will ever trust them including me.


This DEFCON ONE ALERT is being issued because HQ believes that both the Grants Program (trails, restoration, law enforcement, and safety) and the Division (SVRAs, grant staff, scientists, other professionals) are now both equally at risk (before they had just talked about gutting the Division side of the program).


HQ is asking that you share this information with your local county supervisors, sheriffs, FS, BLM, and other grant recipients and ask them to contact the Budget Conference Committee Members AND their own Assembly members, State Senators, and Governor to petition them to honor the OHV Trust Fund. It will be the rural counties and users that get hurt the most if the OHV Trust Fund is sacked.

Key Budget Conference Committee Contacts


Assembly


Bob Blumenfield - Chair Dem-40 (916) 319-2040 Assemblymember.Blumenfield@assembly.ca.gov

Felipe Fuentes Dem-39 (916) 319-2039 Assemblymember.Fuentes@assembly.ca.gov

Diane L. Harkey Rep-73 916) 319-2073 Assemblymember.Harkey@assembly.ca.gov

Jim Nielsen Rep-2 (916) 319-2002 Assemblymember.Nielsen@assembly.ca.gov

Nancy Skinner Dem-14 (916) 319-2114 Assemblymember.Skinner@assembly.ca.gov

Senate

Mark Leno – Vice Chair (916) 445-4722 Senator.Leno@senate.ca.gov

Bill Emmerson Rep-37 (916) 327-2187 Senator.Emmerson@senate.ca.gov

Bob Huff Rep-29 (916) 651-4036 Senator.Huff@senate.ca.gov

Alan Lowenthal Dem-27 (916) 327-9113 Senator.Lowenthal@senate.ca.gov

Gloria Negrete McLeod Dem-32 (916) 445-0128 Senator.McLeod@senate.ca.gov

AMA Alert

http://capwiz.com/amacycle/issues/alert/?alertid=30580501&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id


HQ thanks all of you who have already sent in letters and made phone calls. However, we urge you to keep the pressure on through the weekend. Please share this information with your local elected officials. HQ will also be sending in additional letters and making phone calls over the next few days.

Thanks for your service!

STAYING ALIVE - Update on CA Budget Battle and OHV/State Parks

As Ruth Coleman, Director of California State Parks, gave her views yesterday on the current status of the CA budget mess to the OHMVR Commission, I was reminded of the title of the famous disco song – Staying Alive.

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Photo at right: State Park Director - Ruth Coleman (2nd from Left)

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Yesterday, on behalf of the BlueRibbon Coalition, The General attended an OHMVR Commission meeting in Sacramento. The high or low point (depends on how you look at it) of the meeting was Coleman’s rather grim presentation on the potential closure of many regular state parks units and/or the gutting of her department.

She pointed out those park units which are funded through special funds (SVRAs and lakes and reservoirs), and receive no general fund dollars, appear to be safe from closing. This is because these parks are funded by the people who use them under the user pay/user benefit model. OHMVR and Boating and Waterways are two such examples.

On the other hand, she believes many non-special fund state park units could still be subject to closure if lawmakers cannot find a way to resolve the 26 billion dollar shortfall. Coleman’s Deputy for Administration told the group they had looked at raising park fees but they would have to TRIPLE entrance and camping fees to come up with the 72 million dollars they need to stay in business. However, this scenario won’t help because if fees were raised by that amount you would drive folks away from the parks (and hence decrease any potential fiscal benefit from the increase in fees) and it would functionally exclude lower income families from enjoying those facilities.

Since state park employees are not allowed to lobby for their programs, Coleman and staff kept their presentation very matter-of-fact and did not tell the OHV commission/community what to do. It is my impression reading between the lines that the operations side of the OHV Program is safe from being raided. However, the grants portion of the program (i.e. grants to FS, BLM, counties, law enforcement, etc) could still be vulnerable in future budget cycles. At this time, I think the legislature maybe hesitant to steal dedicated funds from user-pay/user-benefit programs because it sends a horrible message to the public and would kill future support for any such endeavors.

At the end of the day, I can’t tell you when this budget mess will be fixed. It could be this weekend or in 3-4 weeks. It is my impression that regular state parks must become entirely self-funded. One such option that appears to be on the table is a $15 dollar/yr. surcharge (some would call it a use-fee or tax) that would be charged on every vehicle when the owner renews their registration. An alternative could be either an Op-Out (where you have to decline to pay the fee at time of paying your renewal) or an Opt-In (where you have to accept the additional fee at time of registration). Another option could be for state parks to continue efforts to gain corporate sponsorships for some or all of the units. Also, the National Park Service could take over management of several joint state/fed units such as Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California (not a good option for recreationists and access in my opinion since the NPS has a preservationist agenda vs. the more recreation/people friendly approach).

I think riders need to continue to monitor this process and send in letters of concern to your legislators as the spirit or OHV alerts move you.

The CA budget saga continues...

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COMMENTARY ON PEER'S EFFORT TO DEFUND CA OHV PROGRAM

On July 6, 2009 PEER (parent organization of Rangers for Responsible Recreation – one of its rangers is being interviewed by the US Senate today for National Director of BLM) issued an error filled news release advocating for the gutting of the CA OHV Program.

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PEER NEWS RELEASE
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1214

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As some of you know, BRC’s Don Amador spent over 100 hours in the summer of 2007 working with a core group from state parks, the OHV and green lobby, and the Governor’s Office on SB742 – a bill that would provide the state with an ecologically-balanced OHV program. At the end of the day, it got almost a unanimous vote of approval by the state legislature and was signed into law by the Governor. BTW – PEER opposed the bill.

Based on my recollection of some intense negotiations on SB742, and my review of the bill, here is my response to PEER’s bilge.

RESPONSE AND OVERVIEW

A bipartisan committee (GOP, Dems, Enviros, and OHVers) back in the early 1970s: created the 1971 Chappie-Z’berg Act. The bill provided a stable funding source of non-General Fund monies to help pay for trail maintenance, law enforcement, new riding areas, and safety/education. This concept is similar to other user pay/user benefit state programs such as Boating and Waterways where fuel taxes on gasoline burned by boaters is set aside for managing reservoirs and waterways. In a similar fashion, fuel taxes on gasoline burned while operating vehicles off-highway is set aside for managing off-highway vehicle recreation throughout California on local, state, federal and private lands.

According to the Revenue and Taxation Code, funds generated by off-highway recreation shall be used to for managing off-highway recreation, just as on-highway funds are used for highways.

Since the working group spent a lot of time discussing the following foundation block or tenet of SB742, let me restate it for the record… the bill says that the program is to support both motorized recreation and “motorized off-highway access to nonmotorized recreation.” SB742 states that priority should be given to grant projects that maintain existing OHV opportunity, and then give extra consideration to those projects which also provide motorized access to nonmotorized recreation.

BTW –I seem to remember that OHMVR staff said at a OHV meeting that that approx. 20-21 percent of the OHV fund comes from the new increased OHV reg. fees – not 12%


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Highlights of SB742
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/sb%20742%20highlights%2011-21-07.pdf

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Read About CA OHV Laws
http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1140/files/ohvlawsbook-2008.pdf

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I don’t think the legislature is paying much attention to PEER’s effort to defund the OHV program. At this time, I think we need to just be armed with the facts and be ready to stand up and defend our program when asked by someone about PEER’s false accusations and their ludicrous proposal to take OHV monies.

The General believes (and has stated on many occasions) that regular state parks should find a way to become a user pay/user benefit program such as Boating or Waterways or the OHMVR Division instead of relying on monies from the General Fund.

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