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!
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