LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD: PCL'S GRASSROOTS HISTORY PROJECT UNVEILED, FUTURE OF WATER EXAMINED AT UPCOMING SYMPOSIUM
Here are two tantalizing features from our upcoming Annual Environmental Legislative Symposium on Saturday, February 7th to help us take stock of where we've been and determine where we're headed.
At the Symposium we'll be unveiling a multi-year documentary project that provides an intimate look at PCL's 44 years of advancing environmental grassroots activism in California. To capture the rich history of the organization's environmental leadership, we'll display a visual timeline of acres saved, species protected, partnerships born, and communities empowered. This project is more than a reflection on the past; it's a reminder of what we're capable of achieving in the years ahead. We hope you'll attend this kick-off event, share your own PCL stories with our staff, and help us write history together!
We'll also be holding a panel discussion on the future of the state's most valuable natural resource - water. What techniques and policies can help us manage water more sustainably as the state continues to grow? Last year, PCL co-sponsored AB 2153 (Krekorian), legislation that would have required that new developments mitigate 100% of their new water use through improved water management. Though the bill failed, "water neutral" and other lower-impact development policies are gaining ground across California. Panelists Ron Duncan (Soquel Creek Water District), Randele Kanouse (East Bay Municipal Water District), and Dr. Michael Hanemann (Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley) will discuss how low-impact development may play a decisive role in addressing California's water demands.
There are just over two weeks left to registerfor the PCL-PCLF Symposium and Banquet. The event is on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento. For more information, contact Melanie Schlotterbeck at (714) 779-7561 or MSchlotterbeck@pcl.org.
A PCL PERSPECTIVE: END BOND FREEZE TO PUT PEOPLE BACK TO WORK
On December 17th, 2008, the Pooled Money Investment Board (PMIB) ordered all bond-funded projects in the State of California to be halted. Two days later, many non-profit organizations funded through voter-approved bond dollars were told to give pink slips to all employees dependent on bond funding. They were also told they wouldn't be paid for the work already done but not yet reimbursed.
Because of the national credit crunch, the state has not been able to sell bonds since roughly June. Given the state's dwindling cash reserves, the PMIB, made up of state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, state Controller John Chiang, and state Finance Director Mike Genest, froze spending on $3.8 billion in bond funds until the state budget crisis is resolved.
This action has had a devastating effect on our environment, on dozens of organizations dedicated to preserving our natural resources, and on hundreds of workers who have lost their jobs. In all, nearly 4,000 environmental projects ranging from watershed restoration to acquisition of critical habitat have been stopped.
If in fact releasing the money is contingent upon the Legislature resolving the budget stalemate, the situation could go from bad to worse. The Republican leadership has been holding up the budget by refusing to discuss any revenue increase but instead demanding devastating rollbacks of environmental and public health safeguards such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These demands are nothing new, but wholly unrelated to the budget crisis.
Organizations and individuals throughout California are mobilizing to ensure that everyone realizes the devastating impact of inaction. A website has been created to collect stories of this dramatic situation. It includes a link to a petition calling for the Legislature to act so people can get back to work and projects the state has already invested in are not wasted. Participation in this site has grown as more and more groups are watching years of effort slip away.
This bond freeze and the subsequent layoffs are the exact opposite of economic stimulus our state so badly needs. Even the Governor has stated that 18,000 jobs can be created with every $1 billion of bond funding that is expedited for economic stimulus. We hope the Governor and the Republican legislative leadership can put aside their ideological agenda of gutting environmental protections and support a budget that allows people to get back to work.
1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789
1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789 •
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