March 2011 California Today, PLanning and Conservation League Newsletter
Content
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE FOUNDATION
CALIFORNIA TODAY
Newsletter of the Planning & Conservation League
March 2011
Volume 41, Number 1
CEQA Updates, pages 3 and 7
League Sponsors Healthy Neighborhoods Act
By: Jena Price
Californians want to live and work in great (Steinberg) builds on the existing framework of regional neighborhoods. We want sustainable and walkable planning in an attempt to incorporate the regional allocation communities and a convenient and dependable public transit of housing needs and regional transportation planning in system. For this and many other reasons voters order to reduce the emissions created from vehicles. Second, we need to support reforms that ensure that new overwhelmingly support stemming the tide on global warming. And now our golden state has two landmark laws development is climate friendly and does what SB 375 said it should. These landmark bills set the groundwork by aiming that can serve as a model for the rest of the nation. Here’s the issue -- after many, many years of poor to limit urban fringe development and decrease greenhouse planning and suburban sprawl, we are very dependent on our gases. The League will champion complimenting measures cars. In fact, 36% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions that promote high density, infill development, and preserves are created by our vehicles. The bottom line is that we now our farm land, keeping the residents of California all-around need to create transportation systems, communities, and job healthier. That’s why this year the Planning and Conservation opportunities all in close proximity to each other. A recent Public Policy Institute of California report showed that the League introduced the Healthy Neighborhoods Act vast majority of commuters still drive to work, even if they (Assembly Bill 605). It is the first of many to come over the live or work near a transit station. It seems that employment next five years; as we turn our focus towards using the density (the number of jobs per square mile) matters more legislative process to encourage more sustainable when encouraging commuters to use transit instead of development, more pedestrian friendly communities and an all around healthier, less polluted environment. The driving to work everyday. What we need to do now is implement the intent of our League’s bill, authored by Assemblymember Roger global warming laws. How will we do that? The League is Dickinson, aims to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for spearheading the way with a two-prong approach. First, we new developments and creates a checklist or standards for need to give citizens and community leaders the tools they new developments to meet. As the legislative session need to make new developments climate friendly by proceeds, we look forward to keeping you all posted on the addressing responsible land use through the implementation progress of our bills! To learn more about PCL’s work in the Capitol go to: of landmark legislation like Senate Bill 375. Known as the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Bill, SB 375 www.PCL.org. CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
Dear Friends,
CALIFORNIA TODAY (ISBN 0739-8042) is the quarterly newsletter of the PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE AND THE PCL FOUNDATION
1107 Ninth Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 PHONE: 916-444-8726 FAX: 916-448-1789
E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] WEB ADDRESS: http://www.pcl.org Membership to PCL is $35 a year and includes a subscription to CALIFORNIA TODAY. Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento, CA and at other additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes for CALIFORNIA TODAY to the PCL Office: 1107 Ninth Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814
PCLF BOARD OF TRUSTEES
DAVID HIRSCH, Chairman RALPH B. PERRY III, Vice Chairman DANIEL S. FROST, Secretary-Treasurer COKE HALLOWELL, Trustee
PCL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
BILL CENTER, President KEVIN JOHNSON, Senior Vice President DAVID MOGAVERO, Secretary-Treasurer SAGE SWEETWOOD, President Emeritus JOHN VAN DE KAMP, President Emeritus
REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS
ELISABETH BROWN JAN CHATTEN-BROWN PHYLLIS FABER RICK HAWLEY FRAN LAYTON DOUG LINNEY TERESA VILLEGAS BILL YEATES
ORGANIZATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
Big Sur Land Trust Breathe California, Sacramento-Emigrant Trails California Association of Local Conservation Corps California Wildlife Foundation / California Oaks California Trout Greenspace - The Cambria Land Trust Golden Gate Audubon Society The Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. Mono Lake Committee Mountain Lion Foundation Sierra Nevada Alliance Southern California Agricultural Land Foundation Train Riders Association of California The Trust for Public Land
PCL/PCL FOUNDATION STAFF
TRACI SHEEHAN, Executive Director EVON CHAMBERS, Water Policy Assistant VERN GOEHRING, Legislative Consultant DR. MONICA HUNTER, Central Coast Water Project Manager JONAS MINTON, Senior Water Policy Advisor JONATHAN BERNSTEIN, Administrative Manager JENA PRICE, Global Warming Program Coordinator MELANIE SCHLOTTERBECK, Grants & Outreach Consultant DANA SHOKES, Database Coordinator
California Affiliate National Wildlife Federation
New models, new thinking, and new partnerships - that’s what we need to combat global warming. We have an opportunity to put those ideas into action: the 34th America’s Cup that will be held in 2013 in San Francisco. If you don’t following the Cup or sail, you may not know that this is a huge event. Measured in both total spectators and net economic activity, the America’s Cup is the third-largest sporting event in the world, second only to the Olympics and the World Cup - and larger than both the World Series and the Super Bowl! If you are a member of the Planning and Conservation League, you may know that late in the 2010 legislative year, the City of San Francisco was exploring the possibility of securing a legislative exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for this event. The city, and event organizers, felt that an exemption would provide certainty that the required infrastructure improvements to Bay’s existing facilities could be constructed on-time and on-budget. But after discussing this issue with the League and other members of the environmental community, the City decided not to pursue the CEQA exemption - a decision the San Francisco Gate called “…the smartest move that San Francisco made in its quest to host the next America’s Cup.” Instead, the League and others committed The 32nd America’s Cup. to work with the America’s Cup and to help it meet its responsibility to protect California’s environment. Then the City took its quest for sustainability even further. There is now interest in partnering with regional environmental groups and local businesses to promote sustainability, with actions like offsetting the event’s carbon footprint, purchasing green energy to power the event, and managing event waste sustainably. There are hopes that the event could be carbon negative. This model of partnering for sustainability has a proven track record in other major international sporting events. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics reduced their carbon footprint with LEED standards for facilities, purchased a hundred thousand tons of carbon offsets to balance the event’s environmental impact. In a similar fashion, the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals in Berlin partnered with the United Nations Environmental Program to sponsor tree planting to make the event carbon neutral. By partnering with regional environmental experts and sponsors to achieve sustainability, the America’s Cup can bring awareness and sustainability to a massive scale. In addition to the direct benefits for the global environment, the partnerships for sustainability will also benefit the event’s sponsors because a sustainable event may bring additional international attention, media exposure, and spectator interest. For the City of San Francisco, a comprehensive green strategy will demonstrate its commitment to protecting the environment and may represent a competitive advantage. Sincerely,
Traci Sheehan Executive Director
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CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
By: Jena Price
CEQA Exemptions Rearing Their Ugly Heads Again Fast Facts
In the final hours of last year’s legislative session, the Planning and Conservation League fought hard to defeat last minute bills and prevent possible bills from legislative consideration. After the dust had settled, the League was happy to announce that not a single significant California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption was passed. It’s a new year and a new session, that means new legislation right? Not so. As the barrage of new bills flood Legislative Counsel, there are some repeats which suffered defeat last year. Among these re-introduced bills is AB 241, formally SBX8 42 (also SB 1010, AB 1805, and ABX8 37), which would allow the CEQA exemption of 25 projects each year for five years. Last year it died in committee and this year we will work aggressively to see that this bill’s outcome is the same. By exempting these projects from judicial review, residents in California’s communities, cities, and counties would not be able to enforce the environmental review process of CEQA for any of the 125 projects - no matter their size or impact on their lives. This bill would strip the ability of communities to hold developers and project proponents accountable for implementing mitigation measures that reduce or avoid significant adverse effects on air and water quality, traffic congestion, noise, and open space. We intend to keep you apprised of any further attempts to hack away at CEQA during this legislative session. For questions or comments, please email: [email protected] or visit our website: www.PCL.org and twitter page: twitter.com/PCLeague.
60 million
California's expected population by 2050.
$4.3 billion
The annual savings on infrastructure costs by cities and counties in 2050 if more compact neighborhoods are built.
300,000
The acres of California farmland lost every year due to population pressures.
$1.66 billion
The amount of money saved on pollution related health costs if more sustainable community development and more diverse transportation options were taken advantage of.
Cal Heroes Website Launched
The California Environmental Quality Act is the state’s premier environmental law. For over 40 years CEQA has empowered Californians to protect the state in all of its diversity: from safeguarding the urban environment to conserving California’s magnificent coasts, forest mountains, farmland, and more. It has also provided a critical framework for government accountability. In its recent history, many have tried to weaken or comprise the integrity of CEQA. It is repeatedly a favorite last minute ploy in state budget negotiations and each year numerous pieces of legislation have been introduced attempt to handout legislative free passes to financially and political special interests groups. Now entering the final stretch of budget negotiations and entering the new two-year legislative session. PCL thought we would highlight a few CEQA victories of over the course of over four decades, as a reminder why CEQA’s defense is crucial. Our new “CalHeroes” website features stories from the immensely popular Everyday Heroes Protect the Air We Breathe, the Water We Drink, and the Natural Areas We Prize publication.
18%
The potential vehicle miles traveled reduction if 60% of all future development was made up of compact development.
Protect CEQA Campaign
Wondering how you and/or your organization can get involved and work with the League to protect CEQA? The League worked with our environmental allies and local activists to bring together a coalition of more than 150 conservation and community groups working to protect CEQA from rollbacks. We need your support! You can sign up to receive our alerts on CEQA and be a member of the coalition by emailing Jena Price at [email protected].
Go to CalHeroes.com!
CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
3
2011 Symposium a Success!
By: Melanie Schlotterbeck
On January 29, the Planning and Conservation League and the PCL Foundation held their Annual Environmental Legislative Symposium in downtown Sacramento. The event brought together some of the brightest minds working on some of California’s toughest environmental challenges. The overriding themes of the day centralized around the state budget, water policy and planning, and upholding the integrity of California’s premier environmental law; the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We were thrilled to have recently appointed Natural Resources Secretary John Laird as our esteemed morning keynote speaker. Secretary Laird drew our attention to the plight of
the state budget and how we can all rally together to be most effective in 2011. The event offered twelve sessions to choose from with incredible expertise and experience amongst our speakers and moderators. This year we hit a high with 13 policy and opinion leaders on our panels, including Senator Lois Wolk, Assemblymembers Jared Huffman and Mike Feuer, Delta Stewardship Council Chair Phil Isenberg, Department of Fish and Game Chief Deputy Director Kevin Hunting, and California Energy Commission Chair Karen Douglas, among others! During lunch, we honored five of 2010’s environmental heroes and launched our PCL Ambassador
Program to help groups network with leading environmental experts. The event closed with a rousing speech by San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi. He announced that San Francisco recently won the bid to host the next America’s Cup and relayed the City’s commitment to CEQA compliance for the event. Save the date for next year’s Symposium, it will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center on Saturday, January 28, 2012.
Some of the comments we received...
“I am so glad I stayed -- the last speech [Supervisor Mirkarimi] was great!” “This [Water Wars session] was fascinating and I’m not a lawyer!” “John Laird! Gives hope!” “Money and time well spent.”
Secretary Laird presents the morning keynote to a standing room only.
“Having facilitated tables at lunch was a great idea! Please continue.”
The What’s Next for California Water? Panel discusses California’s current water situation. From left Assemblymember Huffman, Senator Wolk, Chair Isenberg, and PCL’s Jonas Minton. Photos by: Amber Schmaeling PCL Board member David Mogavero engages his table with a discussion on Land Use. The California State Parks Foundation’s Greg Zelder runs a workshop on social media.
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CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
Thank You to Our Sponsors...
GOLD SPONSORS ($5,000+)
Chatten-Brown and Carstens • SunPower Conservation Clarity • Downey Brand LLP • Robert J. Erickson • Phyllis Faber • Infill Builders Association • Vern Goehring • Inland Empire Utilities Agency • Lippe Gaffney Wagner LLP • Lozeau | Drury LLP • M.R. Wolfe and Associates • Marin Conservation League • National Wildlife Federation • Water ReUse Association • Terry Watt • John Van de Kamp
SILVER SPONSORS ($2,500+)
Camp Lotus
BRONZE SPONSORS ($1,000+)
AFSCME Local 2428 • California Association of Local Conservation Corps • East Bay Municipal Utility District • Environment Now • Kevin K. Johnson, A Professional Law Corporation • Los Angeles Conservation Corps • Linda & Byron Sher • Metropolitan Water District • Mogavero Notestine Associates • Remy, Thomas, Moose and Manley LLP • Rossmann & Moore LLP • Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger LLP • The Rose Foundation
NON-PROFIT SPONSORS ($250+)
California Interfaith Power and Light • California Native Plant Society • California Oaks Foundation • California Rail Foundation • Defenders of Wildlife • Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks • Friends, Artists and Neighbors of Elkhorn Slough • Greenspace - The Cambria Land Trust • San Diego River Park Foundation • Valley Land Alliance
OTHER SPONSORS EMERGING SPONSORS ($500+)
Adams, Broadwell, Joseph and Cardozo LLP • California American Water • California Association of Professional Scientists • California State Parks Foundation • Peter and Carole Clum • Community Conservation Solutions • Ecoconsult • Environmental Law Section of the California State Bar
...your generosity made this event possible.
Our 2011Award Winners
PCL Board President Bill Center provides a summary of the event, lessons learned, and next steps.
Assemblymember Mike Feuer Senator Alan Lowenthal Legislators of the Year Doug Carstens Carla Bard Award California State Parks Foundation David Gaines Award Lynne Plambeck Dorothy Green Award
PCL Foundation Trustee Coke Hallowell and daughter Joell sold their book Take Me to the River. Barb Byrne enjoys a chat with Joell at the book signing table.
Part of the Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger entourage laughing it up just before the closing keynote.
Photos by: Melanie Schlotterbeck
Our closing keynote Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, (third from right) with League Board President Bill Center, Executive Director Traci Sheehan and staff.
CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
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San Clemente Dam Removal Project Update
By: Dr. Monica Hunter
One of the PCL Foundation’s core efforts is to help facilitate the removal of the seismically unsafe San Clemente Dam in Monterey County. The Carmel River Re-Route and Dam Removal Project is being proposed through a unique partnership of federal, state, and local agencies led by the California Coastal Conservancy (SCC) and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), working together with the California American Water Company (CAW), a private water utility and owner of the San Clemente Dam. The Foundation recently joined this effort to conduct public outreach and support community involvement funded by a SCC grant to work with community groups and residents as the project moves through the various agency permitting reviews during the coming year. The Public Utilities Commission is currently reviewing CAW’s project application, and during a
February meeting heard from Monterey Peninsula residents, many of whom spoke in support of dam removal and restoration of the river. The next milestone for the project is anticipated to be completed by March 2011 when the Notice of Determination is issued by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), the final step in its CEQA process. DWR determined in the mid-1990s that the seismically weak dam poses a threat to community residents downstream of the dam in the event of a magnitude 6.2 or greater earthquake and ordered CAW to implement a solution. For a full project description, please see the Coastal Conservancy website at : http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sanclemente/san_cl emente_large.pdf. For more information, contact Monica Hunter, Central Coast Watersheds Program Director at [email protected].
Delta Discussions Utilize League's Expertise
By: Jonas Minton
From ensuring the endangered Delta smelt recovers to implementing water-wise developments that decrease our demand for water from the Delta, the League has been at the forefront of discussions and planning as it relates to the future of the West Coast’s largest estuary. The state is now grappling with how to handle the decades old water conflict at the Bay Delta. The State Water Board’s ground-shaking and scientifically-based Delta Flows report, indicated that the health of the Bay Delta needs to have greater inflows and outflows and less water diversions if it is to survive as a home for fish and wildlife. The Delta Stewardship Council is charged with developing a plan for the Delta by the end of the year.
At the request of the Council, Jonas Minton presented the top four priority actions that should be included in the Council’s initial Delta Plan. The League’s testimony also included an outline of how to pay for the plan. Priority Actions for the Delta • Updating and Set New Flow Standards -- Direct the State Water Resources Control Board to start updating flow standards now for existing conveyance and set standards for new conveyance. • Improve Levees -- Prioritize Delta levees for improvement and approve funding consistent with those priorities. • Examine Potential Water Supply -- Call upon Bay Delta Conservation Plan leaders and other stakeholders to conduct due diligence review of a 3,000 cubic feet per second conveyance facility. • Restore the Delta -- Work with Delta interests and others including the Metropolitan Water District and Westlands on phased restoration projects. These priority actions would be funded through an affordable financing plan, including, but not limited to, utilizing Proposition 1E funds and creating a beneficiary pays model. The League will continue to be involved in this important statewide water issue. Stay tuned!
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CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
CEQA and the Legislature
By: Senator Alan Lowenthal
California’s Environmental Quality Act (known by its acronym CEQA) has, ever since Governor Ronald Reagan signed it into law, served as a bulwark against reckless development and rampant pollution. CEQA’s complex process of meetings and reports delivered a stunningly simple result: It put every citizen, neighborhood, or town on even footing with the most powerful forces in our society. It was born with powerful enemies. It made it harder to bulldoze a forest or put a factory next to a school. It protected our rivers and mountains, our beaches, and wetlands. While some hailed it as hope for the future, others saw it as a hindrance to business. Despite all that, it withstood every effort to dismantle it. Californians, it turned out, had come to depend on its protections, even if they didn’t fully understand them. And why not? CEQA worked. Since its adoption, California’s population more than doubled. But our air quality improved. Our economy grew threefold, but our impact on the environment actually softened. Even the poorest neighborhoods have a tool to protect themselves. CEQA has helped a coalition of community groups to achieve a historic settlement with the Port of Los Angeles to reduce air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods. This law empowered the Mothers of East L.A. to defeat a toxic waste incinerator to be built within 7,500 feet of homes, schools, churches, and hospitals. It forced the developers of the massive Mission Bay project in San Francisco to reduce sewage outflow and to restore critical wetlands.
For the past 39 years, the Legislature has been successful in repelling many attacks on CEQA. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. In 2009, the Legislature, bowing to pressure from billionaires, passed legislation that gave a CEQA exemption to the City of Industry to build a football stadium in East L.A. Many legislators, including myself, spoke against that bill on the floor, warned that this would not create jobs but would instead open the door to every business interest in the state to come to the Legislature when they can’t get what they want by following the law. Already this year, whispers in the Capitol halls have turned to a rumble as a new stadium is proposed for downtown Los Angeles. No doubt, the proponents of the project will tout the “hundreds” of new jobs the stadium will provide. One only needs to look east to the empty lot in the City of Industry to know that we have been there, tried that. When will it end? Unfortunately, I am afraid it will only end with the complete dismantling of CEQA. If this happens, all Californians, the rich, the poor, the urban, and the rural will suffer the consequences of a system that no longer values the input of those that will be most affected.
Senator Alan Lowenthal represents portions of Los Angeles County. He invites you to contact him through his website at: http://dist27.casen.govoffice.com/
CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
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PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE FOUNDATION
1107 9TH STREET, SUITE 360 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95814
Forest Stewardship Council certified paper containing 50% recycled fiber with 25% post consumer waste, elemental chlorine free and printed with vegetable ink.
VISIT US ON THE WEB: www.PCL.org or www.PCLFoundation.org
PCL History Project
By: Evon Chambers
New NWF Representative
By: Les Welsh
The photo featured in the last edition of Cal Today is of a celebrity train ride event to raise support for California Propositions 116 and 117. Both initiative-based measures were placed on the June 5, 1990 ballot and passed with the majority vote. Prop 116 authorized $1.99 billion to fund specified intercity rail, commuter rail, and urban rail transit projects statewide. Prop 117, the California Wildlife Protection Act, prohibited sporthunting of mountain lions and established the Habitat Conservation Fund. This Fund allocates $30 million each year towards wildlife habitat protection until 2020. Can you identify the situation or people in this edition’s picture? Show off your knowledge of PCL’s greenroots and environmental history! Email your response to Evon Chambers at [email protected].
Hello, my name is Les Welsh and I am perhaps PCL’s newest supporter! As the new Regional Representative for the Pacific Region of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), I am excited to be working to empower and strengthen our region’s five state affiliates, including the Planning and Conservation League. I’m pleased to lend my voice and experience to the issues most important to the membership of PCL and look forward to working together for a healthier planet for all of us. NWF has had a long and fruitful commitment to conservation here in California. We are now working to grow that commitment by adding in-state staff. In doing so, we should be able to provide increased support on the many issues with which we share a priority interest with PCL. I look forward to this very promising work in the coming year.
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE FOUNDATION
CALIFORNIA TODAY
Newsletter of the Planning & Conservation League
March 2011
Volume 41, Number 1
CEQA Updates, pages 3 and 7
League Sponsors Healthy Neighborhoods Act
By: Jena Price
Californians want to live and work in great (Steinberg) builds on the existing framework of regional neighborhoods. We want sustainable and walkable planning in an attempt to incorporate the regional allocation communities and a convenient and dependable public transit of housing needs and regional transportation planning in system. For this and many other reasons voters order to reduce the emissions created from vehicles. Second, we need to support reforms that ensure that new overwhelmingly support stemming the tide on global warming. And now our golden state has two landmark laws development is climate friendly and does what SB 375 said it should. These landmark bills set the groundwork by aiming that can serve as a model for the rest of the nation. Here’s the issue -- after many, many years of poor to limit urban fringe development and decrease greenhouse planning and suburban sprawl, we are very dependent on our gases. The League will champion complimenting measures cars. In fact, 36% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions that promote high density, infill development, and preserves are created by our vehicles. The bottom line is that we now our farm land, keeping the residents of California all-around need to create transportation systems, communities, and job healthier. That’s why this year the Planning and Conservation opportunities all in close proximity to each other. A recent Public Policy Institute of California report showed that the League introduced the Healthy Neighborhoods Act vast majority of commuters still drive to work, even if they (Assembly Bill 605). It is the first of many to come over the live or work near a transit station. It seems that employment next five years; as we turn our focus towards using the density (the number of jobs per square mile) matters more legislative process to encourage more sustainable when encouraging commuters to use transit instead of development, more pedestrian friendly communities and an all around healthier, less polluted environment. The driving to work everyday. What we need to do now is implement the intent of our League’s bill, authored by Assemblymember Roger global warming laws. How will we do that? The League is Dickinson, aims to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for spearheading the way with a two-prong approach. First, we new developments and creates a checklist or standards for need to give citizens and community leaders the tools they new developments to meet. As the legislative session need to make new developments climate friendly by proceeds, we look forward to keeping you all posted on the addressing responsible land use through the implementation progress of our bills! To learn more about PCL’s work in the Capitol go to: of landmark legislation like Senate Bill 375. Known as the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Bill, SB 375 www.PCL.org. CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
Dear Friends,
CALIFORNIA TODAY (ISBN 0739-8042) is the quarterly newsletter of the PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE AND THE PCL FOUNDATION
1107 Ninth Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 PHONE: 916-444-8726 FAX: 916-448-1789
E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] WEB ADDRESS: http://www.pcl.org Membership to PCL is $35 a year and includes a subscription to CALIFORNIA TODAY. Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento, CA and at other additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes for CALIFORNIA TODAY to the PCL Office: 1107 Ninth Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814
PCLF BOARD OF TRUSTEES
DAVID HIRSCH, Chairman RALPH B. PERRY III, Vice Chairman DANIEL S. FROST, Secretary-Treasurer COKE HALLOWELL, Trustee
PCL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
BILL CENTER, President KEVIN JOHNSON, Senior Vice President DAVID MOGAVERO, Secretary-Treasurer SAGE SWEETWOOD, President Emeritus JOHN VAN DE KAMP, President Emeritus
REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS
ELISABETH BROWN JAN CHATTEN-BROWN PHYLLIS FABER RICK HAWLEY FRAN LAYTON DOUG LINNEY TERESA VILLEGAS BILL YEATES
ORGANIZATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
Big Sur Land Trust Breathe California, Sacramento-Emigrant Trails California Association of Local Conservation Corps California Wildlife Foundation / California Oaks California Trout Greenspace - The Cambria Land Trust Golden Gate Audubon Society The Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. Mono Lake Committee Mountain Lion Foundation Sierra Nevada Alliance Southern California Agricultural Land Foundation Train Riders Association of California The Trust for Public Land
PCL/PCL FOUNDATION STAFF
TRACI SHEEHAN, Executive Director EVON CHAMBERS, Water Policy Assistant VERN GOEHRING, Legislative Consultant DR. MONICA HUNTER, Central Coast Water Project Manager JONAS MINTON, Senior Water Policy Advisor JONATHAN BERNSTEIN, Administrative Manager JENA PRICE, Global Warming Program Coordinator MELANIE SCHLOTTERBECK, Grants & Outreach Consultant DANA SHOKES, Database Coordinator
California Affiliate National Wildlife Federation
New models, new thinking, and new partnerships - that’s what we need to combat global warming. We have an opportunity to put those ideas into action: the 34th America’s Cup that will be held in 2013 in San Francisco. If you don’t following the Cup or sail, you may not know that this is a huge event. Measured in both total spectators and net economic activity, the America’s Cup is the third-largest sporting event in the world, second only to the Olympics and the World Cup - and larger than both the World Series and the Super Bowl! If you are a member of the Planning and Conservation League, you may know that late in the 2010 legislative year, the City of San Francisco was exploring the possibility of securing a legislative exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for this event. The city, and event organizers, felt that an exemption would provide certainty that the required infrastructure improvements to Bay’s existing facilities could be constructed on-time and on-budget. But after discussing this issue with the League and other members of the environmental community, the City decided not to pursue the CEQA exemption - a decision the San Francisco Gate called “…the smartest move that San Francisco made in its quest to host the next America’s Cup.” Instead, the League and others committed The 32nd America’s Cup. to work with the America’s Cup and to help it meet its responsibility to protect California’s environment. Then the City took its quest for sustainability even further. There is now interest in partnering with regional environmental groups and local businesses to promote sustainability, with actions like offsetting the event’s carbon footprint, purchasing green energy to power the event, and managing event waste sustainably. There are hopes that the event could be carbon negative. This model of partnering for sustainability has a proven track record in other major international sporting events. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics reduced their carbon footprint with LEED standards for facilities, purchased a hundred thousand tons of carbon offsets to balance the event’s environmental impact. In a similar fashion, the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals in Berlin partnered with the United Nations Environmental Program to sponsor tree planting to make the event carbon neutral. By partnering with regional environmental experts and sponsors to achieve sustainability, the America’s Cup can bring awareness and sustainability to a massive scale. In addition to the direct benefits for the global environment, the partnerships for sustainability will also benefit the event’s sponsors because a sustainable event may bring additional international attention, media exposure, and spectator interest. For the City of San Francisco, a comprehensive green strategy will demonstrate its commitment to protecting the environment and may represent a competitive advantage. Sincerely,
Traci Sheehan Executive Director
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CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
By: Jena Price
CEQA Exemptions Rearing Their Ugly Heads Again Fast Facts
In the final hours of last year’s legislative session, the Planning and Conservation League fought hard to defeat last minute bills and prevent possible bills from legislative consideration. After the dust had settled, the League was happy to announce that not a single significant California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption was passed. It’s a new year and a new session, that means new legislation right? Not so. As the barrage of new bills flood Legislative Counsel, there are some repeats which suffered defeat last year. Among these re-introduced bills is AB 241, formally SBX8 42 (also SB 1010, AB 1805, and ABX8 37), which would allow the CEQA exemption of 25 projects each year for five years. Last year it died in committee and this year we will work aggressively to see that this bill’s outcome is the same. By exempting these projects from judicial review, residents in California’s communities, cities, and counties would not be able to enforce the environmental review process of CEQA for any of the 125 projects - no matter their size or impact on their lives. This bill would strip the ability of communities to hold developers and project proponents accountable for implementing mitigation measures that reduce or avoid significant adverse effects on air and water quality, traffic congestion, noise, and open space. We intend to keep you apprised of any further attempts to hack away at CEQA during this legislative session. For questions or comments, please email: [email protected] or visit our website: www.PCL.org and twitter page: twitter.com/PCLeague.
60 million
California's expected population by 2050.
$4.3 billion
The annual savings on infrastructure costs by cities and counties in 2050 if more compact neighborhoods are built.
300,000
The acres of California farmland lost every year due to population pressures.
$1.66 billion
The amount of money saved on pollution related health costs if more sustainable community development and more diverse transportation options were taken advantage of.
Cal Heroes Website Launched
The California Environmental Quality Act is the state’s premier environmental law. For over 40 years CEQA has empowered Californians to protect the state in all of its diversity: from safeguarding the urban environment to conserving California’s magnificent coasts, forest mountains, farmland, and more. It has also provided a critical framework for government accountability. In its recent history, many have tried to weaken or comprise the integrity of CEQA. It is repeatedly a favorite last minute ploy in state budget negotiations and each year numerous pieces of legislation have been introduced attempt to handout legislative free passes to financially and political special interests groups. Now entering the final stretch of budget negotiations and entering the new two-year legislative session. PCL thought we would highlight a few CEQA victories of over the course of over four decades, as a reminder why CEQA’s defense is crucial. Our new “CalHeroes” website features stories from the immensely popular Everyday Heroes Protect the Air We Breathe, the Water We Drink, and the Natural Areas We Prize publication.
18%
The potential vehicle miles traveled reduction if 60% of all future development was made up of compact development.
Protect CEQA Campaign
Wondering how you and/or your organization can get involved and work with the League to protect CEQA? The League worked with our environmental allies and local activists to bring together a coalition of more than 150 conservation and community groups working to protect CEQA from rollbacks. We need your support! You can sign up to receive our alerts on CEQA and be a member of the coalition by emailing Jena Price at [email protected].
Go to CalHeroes.com!
CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
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2011 Symposium a Success!
By: Melanie Schlotterbeck
On January 29, the Planning and Conservation League and the PCL Foundation held their Annual Environmental Legislative Symposium in downtown Sacramento. The event brought together some of the brightest minds working on some of California’s toughest environmental challenges. The overriding themes of the day centralized around the state budget, water policy and planning, and upholding the integrity of California’s premier environmental law; the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We were thrilled to have recently appointed Natural Resources Secretary John Laird as our esteemed morning keynote speaker. Secretary Laird drew our attention to the plight of
the state budget and how we can all rally together to be most effective in 2011. The event offered twelve sessions to choose from with incredible expertise and experience amongst our speakers and moderators. This year we hit a high with 13 policy and opinion leaders on our panels, including Senator Lois Wolk, Assemblymembers Jared Huffman and Mike Feuer, Delta Stewardship Council Chair Phil Isenberg, Department of Fish and Game Chief Deputy Director Kevin Hunting, and California Energy Commission Chair Karen Douglas, among others! During lunch, we honored five of 2010’s environmental heroes and launched our PCL Ambassador
Program to help groups network with leading environmental experts. The event closed with a rousing speech by San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi. He announced that San Francisco recently won the bid to host the next America’s Cup and relayed the City’s commitment to CEQA compliance for the event. Save the date for next year’s Symposium, it will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center on Saturday, January 28, 2012.
Some of the comments we received...
“I am so glad I stayed -- the last speech [Supervisor Mirkarimi] was great!” “This [Water Wars session] was fascinating and I’m not a lawyer!” “John Laird! Gives hope!” “Money and time well spent.”
Secretary Laird presents the morning keynote to a standing room only.
“Having facilitated tables at lunch was a great idea! Please continue.”
The What’s Next for California Water? Panel discusses California’s current water situation. From left Assemblymember Huffman, Senator Wolk, Chair Isenberg, and PCL’s Jonas Minton. Photos by: Amber Schmaeling PCL Board member David Mogavero engages his table with a discussion on Land Use. The California State Parks Foundation’s Greg Zelder runs a workshop on social media.
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CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
Thank You to Our Sponsors...
GOLD SPONSORS ($5,000+)
Chatten-Brown and Carstens • SunPower Conservation Clarity • Downey Brand LLP • Robert J. Erickson • Phyllis Faber • Infill Builders Association • Vern Goehring • Inland Empire Utilities Agency • Lippe Gaffney Wagner LLP • Lozeau | Drury LLP • M.R. Wolfe and Associates • Marin Conservation League • National Wildlife Federation • Water ReUse Association • Terry Watt • John Van de Kamp
SILVER SPONSORS ($2,500+)
Camp Lotus
BRONZE SPONSORS ($1,000+)
AFSCME Local 2428 • California Association of Local Conservation Corps • East Bay Municipal Utility District • Environment Now • Kevin K. Johnson, A Professional Law Corporation • Los Angeles Conservation Corps • Linda & Byron Sher • Metropolitan Water District • Mogavero Notestine Associates • Remy, Thomas, Moose and Manley LLP • Rossmann & Moore LLP • Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger LLP • The Rose Foundation
NON-PROFIT SPONSORS ($250+)
California Interfaith Power and Light • California Native Plant Society • California Oaks Foundation • California Rail Foundation • Defenders of Wildlife • Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks • Friends, Artists and Neighbors of Elkhorn Slough • Greenspace - The Cambria Land Trust • San Diego River Park Foundation • Valley Land Alliance
OTHER SPONSORS EMERGING SPONSORS ($500+)
Adams, Broadwell, Joseph and Cardozo LLP • California American Water • California Association of Professional Scientists • California State Parks Foundation • Peter and Carole Clum • Community Conservation Solutions • Ecoconsult • Environmental Law Section of the California State Bar
...your generosity made this event possible.
Our 2011Award Winners
PCL Board President Bill Center provides a summary of the event, lessons learned, and next steps.
Assemblymember Mike Feuer Senator Alan Lowenthal Legislators of the Year Doug Carstens Carla Bard Award California State Parks Foundation David Gaines Award Lynne Plambeck Dorothy Green Award
PCL Foundation Trustee Coke Hallowell and daughter Joell sold their book Take Me to the River. Barb Byrne enjoys a chat with Joell at the book signing table.
Part of the Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger entourage laughing it up just before the closing keynote.
Photos by: Melanie Schlotterbeck
Our closing keynote Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, (third from right) with League Board President Bill Center, Executive Director Traci Sheehan and staff.
CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
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San Clemente Dam Removal Project Update
By: Dr. Monica Hunter
One of the PCL Foundation’s core efforts is to help facilitate the removal of the seismically unsafe San Clemente Dam in Monterey County. The Carmel River Re-Route and Dam Removal Project is being proposed through a unique partnership of federal, state, and local agencies led by the California Coastal Conservancy (SCC) and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), working together with the California American Water Company (CAW), a private water utility and owner of the San Clemente Dam. The Foundation recently joined this effort to conduct public outreach and support community involvement funded by a SCC grant to work with community groups and residents as the project moves through the various agency permitting reviews during the coming year. The Public Utilities Commission is currently reviewing CAW’s project application, and during a
February meeting heard from Monterey Peninsula residents, many of whom spoke in support of dam removal and restoration of the river. The next milestone for the project is anticipated to be completed by March 2011 when the Notice of Determination is issued by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), the final step in its CEQA process. DWR determined in the mid-1990s that the seismically weak dam poses a threat to community residents downstream of the dam in the event of a magnitude 6.2 or greater earthquake and ordered CAW to implement a solution. For a full project description, please see the Coastal Conservancy website at : http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sanclemente/san_cl emente_large.pdf. For more information, contact Monica Hunter, Central Coast Watersheds Program Director at [email protected].
Delta Discussions Utilize League's Expertise
By: Jonas Minton
From ensuring the endangered Delta smelt recovers to implementing water-wise developments that decrease our demand for water from the Delta, the League has been at the forefront of discussions and planning as it relates to the future of the West Coast’s largest estuary. The state is now grappling with how to handle the decades old water conflict at the Bay Delta. The State Water Board’s ground-shaking and scientifically-based Delta Flows report, indicated that the health of the Bay Delta needs to have greater inflows and outflows and less water diversions if it is to survive as a home for fish and wildlife. The Delta Stewardship Council is charged with developing a plan for the Delta by the end of the year.
At the request of the Council, Jonas Minton presented the top four priority actions that should be included in the Council’s initial Delta Plan. The League’s testimony also included an outline of how to pay for the plan. Priority Actions for the Delta • Updating and Set New Flow Standards -- Direct the State Water Resources Control Board to start updating flow standards now for existing conveyance and set standards for new conveyance. • Improve Levees -- Prioritize Delta levees for improvement and approve funding consistent with those priorities. • Examine Potential Water Supply -- Call upon Bay Delta Conservation Plan leaders and other stakeholders to conduct due diligence review of a 3,000 cubic feet per second conveyance facility. • Restore the Delta -- Work with Delta interests and others including the Metropolitan Water District and Westlands on phased restoration projects. These priority actions would be funded through an affordable financing plan, including, but not limited to, utilizing Proposition 1E funds and creating a beneficiary pays model. The League will continue to be involved in this important statewide water issue. Stay tuned!
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CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
CEQA and the Legislature
By: Senator Alan Lowenthal
California’s Environmental Quality Act (known by its acronym CEQA) has, ever since Governor Ronald Reagan signed it into law, served as a bulwark against reckless development and rampant pollution. CEQA’s complex process of meetings and reports delivered a stunningly simple result: It put every citizen, neighborhood, or town on even footing with the most powerful forces in our society. It was born with powerful enemies. It made it harder to bulldoze a forest or put a factory next to a school. It protected our rivers and mountains, our beaches, and wetlands. While some hailed it as hope for the future, others saw it as a hindrance to business. Despite all that, it withstood every effort to dismantle it. Californians, it turned out, had come to depend on its protections, even if they didn’t fully understand them. And why not? CEQA worked. Since its adoption, California’s population more than doubled. But our air quality improved. Our economy grew threefold, but our impact on the environment actually softened. Even the poorest neighborhoods have a tool to protect themselves. CEQA has helped a coalition of community groups to achieve a historic settlement with the Port of Los Angeles to reduce air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods. This law empowered the Mothers of East L.A. to defeat a toxic waste incinerator to be built within 7,500 feet of homes, schools, churches, and hospitals. It forced the developers of the massive Mission Bay project in San Francisco to reduce sewage outflow and to restore critical wetlands.
For the past 39 years, the Legislature has been successful in repelling many attacks on CEQA. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. In 2009, the Legislature, bowing to pressure from billionaires, passed legislation that gave a CEQA exemption to the City of Industry to build a football stadium in East L.A. Many legislators, including myself, spoke against that bill on the floor, warned that this would not create jobs but would instead open the door to every business interest in the state to come to the Legislature when they can’t get what they want by following the law. Already this year, whispers in the Capitol halls have turned to a rumble as a new stadium is proposed for downtown Los Angeles. No doubt, the proponents of the project will tout the “hundreds” of new jobs the stadium will provide. One only needs to look east to the empty lot in the City of Industry to know that we have been there, tried that. When will it end? Unfortunately, I am afraid it will only end with the complete dismantling of CEQA. If this happens, all Californians, the rich, the poor, the urban, and the rural will suffer the consequences of a system that no longer values the input of those that will be most affected.
Senator Alan Lowenthal represents portions of Los Angeles County. He invites you to contact him through his website at: http://dist27.casen.govoffice.com/
CALIFORNIA TODAY • Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
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PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE FOUNDATION
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VISIT US ON THE WEB: www.PCL.org or www.PCLFoundation.org
PCL History Project
By: Evon Chambers
New NWF Representative
By: Les Welsh
The photo featured in the last edition of Cal Today is of a celebrity train ride event to raise support for California Propositions 116 and 117. Both initiative-based measures were placed on the June 5, 1990 ballot and passed with the majority vote. Prop 116 authorized $1.99 billion to fund specified intercity rail, commuter rail, and urban rail transit projects statewide. Prop 117, the California Wildlife Protection Act, prohibited sporthunting of mountain lions and established the Habitat Conservation Fund. This Fund allocates $30 million each year towards wildlife habitat protection until 2020. Can you identify the situation or people in this edition’s picture? Show off your knowledge of PCL’s greenroots and environmental history! Email your response to Evon Chambers at [email protected].
Hello, my name is Les Welsh and I am perhaps PCL’s newest supporter! As the new Regional Representative for the Pacific Region of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), I am excited to be working to empower and strengthen our region’s five state affiliates, including the Planning and Conservation League. I’m pleased to lend my voice and experience to the issues most important to the membership of PCL and look forward to working together for a healthier planet for all of us. NWF has had a long and fruitful commitment to conservation here in California. We are now working to grow that commitment by adding in-state staff. In doing so, we should be able to provide increased support on the many issues with which we share a priority interest with PCL. I look forward to this very promising work in the coming year.
