PCL E-Mail Blast Archive, 2008 -

PCL Insider: News from the Capitol   SUCCESS AT SUMMIT: OVERWHELMING INTEREST IN CONVENTION TO OVERHAUL CONSTITUTION   On Tuesday, the Planning and Conservation League, along with the Bay Area Council, Common Cause, the Courage Campaign, the William C. Velasquez Institute and others co-sponsored a summit to discuss the viability of calling a constitutional convention to overhaul how our state government operates.   We were joined by more than 300 individuals at the standing room only event, including locally elected officials, community leaders, local activists, and business representatives.   Speakers included Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman, columnist Dan Walters, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, Senator Mark DeSaulnier, and many others.   The sentiment in the room was clear; if the past year's budget crisis has taught us anything, it's that the system of government in California is broken. There was tremendous support for overhauling the supermajority requirement to pass a state budget as well as calls to revise how elections are conducted and re-examine the effectiveness of term limits.   The state has not held a constitutional convention in 131 years. However, it was evident that most in the room felt that a convention would offer the best hope to comprehensively reform state government to make it once again work for the people. The question now is how to make a constitutional convention happen and how it should be shaped. For more information, contact PCL's Legislative Director, Tina Andolina.     BLAST OFF: PCL FOUNDATION LAUNCHES NEW SIERRA NEVADA GRASSROOTS DIRECTORY After scores of interviews, countless searches, and many hours of compilation, the PCL Foundation is proud to launch the Sierra Nevada Grassroots Directory. Community groups, agencies, and residents alike will benefit from this detailed directory of environmental grassroots organizations active in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.   The Sierra Nevada Grassroots Directory is a resource aimed at the protection and preservation of this world-renowned place. The Directory includes all 23 Sierra counties organized alphabetically from Alpine County to Yuba County. It provides information about environmental non-profit organizations, government agencies, and bodies with administrative or policy-making duties in each region.   The Directory is the culmination of a joint effort by PCL Foundation staff and grassroots organizations throughout the Sierra. The Directory is a living document; please send updates to grassroots@pclfoundation.org. View the Sierra Nevada Grassroots Directoryonline or download a PDF version by visiting the newly redesigned PCL Foundation website.     NIP AND TUCK - PCL FOUNDATION WEBSITE GETS A FACELIFT We're pleased to announce a new look and added functionality at the Planning and Conservation League Foundation's website.   Check out our Policy and Research Center, which highlights our main Foundation program areas: the Central Coast Watersheds, Global Warming, Public Health and the Environment, and Water Policy. The Foundation's Events Section has information on our CEQA Workshops and Local Climate Action Initiative Workshops. Visit our Publications page to see the latest information circulated and sold by the PCL Foundation. Let us know what you think of our buffed-up website by contacting Melanie Schlotterbeck. We're always looking to make improvements!                1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789 pclmail@pcl.org • www.PCL.org • www.PCLFoundation.org   Please add pclmail@pcl.org to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. You are receiving this email because the email address was subscribed to our email list. Having trouble reading this email? View it on our website. Copyright, 2008 The Planning and Conservation League. All rights reserved. Privacy and Contribution Policies. Click here to unsubscribe

PCL Insider Archive, 2005 - 2008

1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789 •

Copyright • 2008 The Planning and Conservation League. All rights reserved. Privacy and Contribution Policies To report problems with or to ask questions about our website, please email pclmail@pcl.org.