December 2012 California Today, PLanning and Conservation League Newsletter

8/12/2019 December 2012 California Today, PLanning and Conservation League Newsletter

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1CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

CALIFORNIA TODAY

43 Short-Term Bay-Delta Projects Gain Unprecedented Environmental, Agriculturaland Agency Support

This endeavor has proved to be extremely successful;the group reached consensus on 43 projects supportedby an unlikely mlange of participants, includingwater exporters, Central Valley farmers, Delta farmers,environmental groups, business and others. Althoughthis group does not have decision making power, the

individual members are considered key players inwater policy and Delta planning and their collectiverecommendations carry considerable weight.

The Coalition to Support Near Term Delta Projects hassparked a great deal of interest around the state and hasbeen covered in media outlets from Northern California,the Central Valley and Coast and all the way down toSouthern California. In October, the Coalition was invitedto speak at a California Senate information hearing to brieflegislators of the outcome of this process. At the hearing,the Legislative Analysts Office reported more than $500million is available for the project in two existing bondmeasures. Some of the 43 identified projects already havemoney available through local funds or ratepayers, whileothers will need the Legislatures approval.

The Legislature reconvenes in December for the2013-2014 Legislative Session. Californias water supplyreliability, ecosystem health, and sustainable funding willbe a top priority this upcoming session and we believe ourefforts on the Delta will inform the dicussions.

CALIFORNIA TODAYNewsletter of the Planning & Conservation LeagueDecember 2012 Volume 42 Number 2

By Evon WillhoffThe California Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta (the

Delta) has been ground zero in the states water wars formany decades. Its been the focus of several planning andregulatory processes that are often characterized by conflictand tension among water agencies and stakeholders.

Meanwhile, as the State and stakeholders have been tryingto figure out a sustainable long-term solution for watersupply reliability and sustainable ecosystem health, manybeneficial short-term projects have been neglected. Partieshave come to recognize that there are many good andworthy near-term projects that seem to get lost in thetensions surrounding the long-term planning efforts.

As a result, the Planning and Conservation LeagueFoundation, Westlands Water District, Central Delta WaterAgency, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California,Delta Counties Coalition, and Contra Costa Water Districtembarked in a proactive and provocative effort, called theCoalition to Support Near Term Delta Projects. The goalof this effort is to achieve broad support for projects in theDelta that can be online in the next five to ten years withoutcompromising the outcome of any long-term planningprocesses. With help from the Center for CollaborativePolicy, six meetings were convened over the course of sixmonths with participation of over 80 Delta stakeholderswith diverse interests in an open and public process.


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2 CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

CALIFORNIA TODAY (ISBN 0739-8042) is the officialnewsletter of the PLANNING AND CONSERVATIONLEAGUE AND THE PCL FOUNDATION

1107 Ninth Street, Suite 901, Sacramento, CA 95814PHONE: 916-822-5631 FAX: 916-822-5650

E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] ADDRESS: http://www.pcl.org

Membership to PCL is $35 a year and includes asubscription to CALIFORNIA TODAY.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes forCALIFORNIA TODAY to the PCL Office:1107 Ninth Street, Suite 901, Sacramento, CA 95814

PCLF BOARD OF TRUSTEESDAVID HIRSCH, ChairmanRALPH B. PERRY III, Vice ChairmanDANIEL S. FROST, Secretary-Treasurer

COKE HALLOWELL, TrusteePCL OFFICERSDAVID MOGAVERO, PresidentJAN CHATTEN-BROWN, Vice P residentPHYLLIS FABER, Vice PresidentKEVIN JOHNSON, Vice PresidentFRAN LAYTON, Vice PresidentAMY WHITE, Vice PresidentBILL CENTER, Secretary-TreasurerSAGE SWEETWOOD, President EmeritusJOHN VAN DE KAMP, President Emeritus

DIRECTORSELISABETH BROWNESTHER FELDMANLORENA GONZALEZ

DOUG LINNEYZAHIRAH MANNJOHN MCCAULTONY ROSSMANNRICH TOLMACHKEITH WAGNERDWIGHT WASHABAUGHTERRY WATTDENNY ZANE

ORGANIZATIONAL BOARD MEMBERSBig Sur Land TrustCalifornia Association of Local Conservation CorpsCalifornia Wildlife Foundation / California OaksCalifornia Rail FoundationCalifornia Trout

Golden Gate Audubon SocietyThe Laguna Greenbelt, Inc.Sierra Nevada AllianceThe Trust for Public Land

PCL/PCL FOUNDATION STAFFBRUCE REZNIK, Executive DirectorMARGARET LECEY, Membership & Events CoordinatorEVON WILLHOFF, Water Program ManagerJONAS MINTON, Senior Water Policy AdvisorABIGAIL OKRENT, Legislative Director

Dear Friends,While the 2012 Legislative Session was not heavy on environmental

accomplishments, there were lessons to be learned from some of the battles thatwent down. In particular, the end-of-session fight over CEQA especially comparedto the 2011 session - offers us a glimpse of how the environmental community canbe effective in pushing our agenda as we move into the 2013 Legislative Session.

While 2011 and 2012 saw end-of-session CEQA plays, the response ofthe environmental community was very different in the two years. In 2011,the environmental community was largely flat-footed when SB 292 (Padilla)and AB 900 (Buchanan) (CEQA judicial streamlining bills) were introduced.While rumors of these reforms had been floating in the halls of the Capitol fora while, we were reticent to get ahead of the story. We didnt want to overreact ifthreats werent real (and thus alienate our allies in the Legislature), and insteadfocused on trying to work with our friends in the Capitol to understand andaddress these growing threats. This strategy backfired as by the time these threatsbecame reality, it was far too late for us to respond and mobilize opposition. In2012, when the hint of SB 317 (Rubio) arose, the environmental communityimmediately worked to prosecute our case in the court of public opinion.

Getting out in front of messaging was critical, but so too was building andbroadening a coalition of supporters. Again, in 2011 we started out behind the 8-ballas the environmental and environmental justice communities were relatively isolatedin fighting back CEQA reform. The development and business community has longsought CEQA reform, but in 2011 some unions joined that coalition around AB900 and SB 292 as they saw those bills as fast-tracking some priority labor-friendlyprojects. Our position was further weakened when the environmental communityended up divided on SB 292. While some groups seeing the inevitable passage ofSB 292 and greater threats on the horizon - acquiesced to support the legislationin hopes of staving off more severe attacks, the environmental community is onlyas strong as we are unified. Again, lesson learned in 2012. Starting with a strongenvironmental community that stayed unified, we were able to successfully broaden

our partnerships to include the environmental justice community, public healthadvocates, and perhaps most importantly the labor community that saw theimpacts of massive CEQA erosion on the communities they represent.We were also much more active in reaching out to local activists and organizationsthat rely on CEQA to put added pressure on their representatives to maintain CEQA.

With strong and early messaging, a unified coalition and communitymobilization, we were able to bolster our allies in the Legislature who hadfelt disempowered in 2011 to demonstrate strong leadership on SB 317.

While we can and should celebrate our victory last session, we certainly cannotrest on our laurels. We know CEQA reform, identified by Leadership as a top priorityfor 2013, will again be a major topic of discussion, and so too will be the futureof the Water Bond and Delta planning; cap-and-trade revenue allocation, and ahost of other critical environmental issues facing our communities. And while theimpact of the recent elections including the new supermajority is uncertain, weknow that building on the foundation established by the environmental communityduring last sessions CEQA fight is a great place to start moving into 2013.

Bruce Reznik

Executive Director

Sincerely,


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CEQA Stays in the HeadlinesExpect More Major Reform Attempts in 2013

By Beth PrattLast month, in front of an audience of thousands

at the NRPA Congress and Exposition in Anaheim,Ranger Rick led a group of kids onstage through avirtual exploration of the natural world, pointing outconstellations in the night sky and gazing at the tops of

trees in a forest.PCLs partner, National Wildlife Federation, wants toensure that 10 million new kids experience more than asimulated version of nature, and is launching a 10 MillionKids Outdoors Campaign to transform screen time intogreen time for Americas children.

The very nature of American childhood has changed:theres just not much nature in it. Kids and young peopletoday spend less time outdoors in nature than ever before.A generation ago three-quarters of American kids playedoutside daily; nowadays, only one-quarter do. Childrenare spending just minutes per day learning and playing

outdoors and more than seven hours per day in front ofelectronic media.

As the problem continues to get worse, NWF hasset a new goal to stem the tide. Our work towards thatgoal will combat the indoor childhood trend and getkids back outdoors in nature. The three-year goal is

to get 10 million more American children out of theirindoor habitat back into the great outdoors for at least anaddition 90 minutes each week. The time spent outdoorscan include many things such as self-guided play or

unstructured time, exploring and connecting with natureor learning in the outdoors.

In California, weve already begun the process offorming partnerships for this campaign, and are currentlyconducting several regional workshops to exploreprograms in cities such as Los Angeles and Oakland.

Noteworthy NWF News

By Abigail OkrentThe California Environmental Quality Act

Californias foundational environmental law continuesto be the hot topic in the legislature. While CEQAhas played a vital role in empowering communities,informing decision-makers and protecting our sharedenvironment for more than four decades, the law has beenunder increasing attack in recent years and is now facingunprecedented threats. Fueled by Californias economiccrisis, the past two legislative sessions saw passage of severallaws modifying CEQA. The past Legislative Session sawa bill (SB 317) almost make it into law that would have

essentially ended CEQA as we know it by allowing the lawto be bypassed whenever a project was in compliance witha law or local plan, even if the plan was outdated.

PCL was proud to have a leadership role in a broad-based coalition that stopped SB 317. However, theappointment of the author of 317, Senator MichaelRubio, to head the Environmental Quality Committeeportends more focus on CEQA. Senate Pro Tem Steinbergand Senator Rubio indicated CEQA reform is a top

environmental priority for 2013, and they have begunconvening meetings with various parties, including PCL, todiscuss CEQA reform.

In response to these increasing attacks, PCL is workingwith a broad array of stakeholders to take a two-prongedapproach on CEQA that includes: (1) redoubling ourefforts to communicate the important role that CEQAplays in protecting our lands, air, waters and communities;while simultaneously (2) exploring and pursuing areaswhere CEQA can be improved to better achieve its aims ofinformed decision-making, community empowerment andenvironmental protection.

You can play a critical role in helping to safeguardand improve CEQA by: providing PCL with examplesof CEQA success stories as well as suggestions on CEQA

improvement or examples of where CEQA has hinderedgreen projects; working with PCL to host a CEQAWorkshop in your community; volunteering to assist PCLwith CEQA research, communications or organizing;and/or donating to PCL or PCL Foundation to supportour important work protecting Californias foundationalenvironmental law. To learn more and offer your help, visitwww.pcl.orgor contact Abigail Okrent at [email protected] 916-822-5633.

Photo by: National Wildlife Federation


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PCL/PCL Foundation 2013 Symposium

SPACE IS LIMITED! REGISTER TODAY!Visit the www.pcl.orgto register onlinetoday!

Symposium Details:Date: Saturday, January 12, 2013Time:9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.Venue:UC Davis School of Law (King Hall) - 400 MrakHall Drive, Davis, CA 95616

With so much attention recently focused on reforming theCalifornia Environmental Quality Act, we are focusing ourSymposium on the past, present and future of CEQA.

The Planning and Conservation League/PCLFoundations 2013 Environmental Symposium will:

Separate fact from fiction about CEQA;

Highlight CEQAs strengths and successesin recent years;

Investigate potential changes to the law to make it aneven more effective tool to safeguard our lands, air,waters and communities;

Identify alternative approaches to promote moresustainable land-use, transportation, water and energyprojects; and

Explore how we can mobilize around a shared visionfor Californias environmental future.

This year the Symposium will be held in a much smaller venuethan past years, so seating is limited. Be sure to register early!Please mark Saturday, January 12, 2013 on your calendar forthis exciting event, and spread the word to colleagues.For further information or questions on attending theSymposium, please contact Margaret Lecey at [email protected] (916) 822-5636.

Interested in Sponsoring this Event?Please visitwww.pcl.orgor contact Bruce Reznik, Executive

Director, at [email protected] (916) 822-5632.

We hope you will join us in PCL/PCL Foundations effortsthrough your attendance and/or sponsorship of this importanteducational event. Our continued success in organizing thisessential Symposium depends in large park on the generoussupport of our membership, meeting attendees and otherenvironmental colleagues. Lets work together to improve theenvironment and quality of life for all Californians!

Room Block at the Hyatt Place Hotel

Location:173 Old Davis Road ExtensionDavis, CA 95616To make reservations, please call (530) 756-9500or visitwww.hyattplace.com

If you are traveling form out of town and need a nice place tostay, please reserve your room at the Hyatt Place. Be sure tomention the reference code (PCL) when calling to make yourreservation. All reservations must be made by December 14,2012. Price per night is $119 plus taxes and incidentals andstandard double queen or standards king rooms are available.


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Early registration closes on December 14, 2012.

Be sure to register now to receive the best price available!

Registration Rates:*Conference fee covers continental breakfast, lunch, refreshments and all symposium materials.

PCL MEMBER- $110 ($140 after early registration deadline)

GOVERNMENT- $120 ($150 after early registration deadline)

GENERAL- $150 ($250 after early registration deadline)CLE- $250 ($280 after early registration deadline)

STUDENT- $50 ($65 after early registration deadline)

Photo by: Amber Schmaeling

Visit www.pcl.org for the most up to date information!


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By Abigail OkrentBetween a still struggling economy and a tumultuous

election season there was not much of an appetite formeaningful environmental initiatives in 2012. While wecan report some victories, much of PCLs efforts focused on

playing defense, staving off attacks on many of the positivesteps of the past decades.Thanks to the work of PCL and a broad-based

coalition, dozens of bills aiming to weaken CEQA weredefeated, including the aforementioned SB 317. Whilea few relatively minor exemptions were signed intolaw, halting a myriad of bills that would have seriouslyundermined CEQAs protections was a major victory forthe environmental community.

Additionally, PCL supported a number of bills thatbecame law. A framework for allocating cap and tradeauction revenue was put into place through SB 1532 (J.

Prez) and SB 535 (de Len), which provides that a portionof the money goes to disadvantaged communities. Theselaws will be critical as California implements AB 32.

A number of important water bills also became law,notably AB 685 (Eng), which enshrines access to cleanwater as a human right and requires state agencies to takethis policy into account when making all relevant decisions.Several laws relating to the delta and flood control authoredby Senator Wolk (SB 200, SB 1278, and SB 1495), were

By Monica HunterIn August 2012, the California State Coastal

Conservancy voted to authorize a grant award of up to$32 million of public funding to California AmericanWater (CAW) for the San Clemente Dam RemovalProject in Monterey County. This important vote bringsthe long-awaited plan for dam removal closer to fruitionfor the public/private partnership between the State andCAW, which has also been strongly supported by PCL

Foundation and a broad-based coalition.The $83 million project will help to restore the

Carmel River, which once supported a thriving steelheadrun, and will help safeguard downstream communitiesthat are currently at risk if the dam fails. As part of thepartnership agreement, CAW will also donate over 900acres of land adjacent to the Ventana Wilderness area inthe Carmel Valley.

The largest ever dam removal project in California

also passed. Two laws dealing with water reuse - AB 1750(Solorio) on rainwater capture and AB 2230 (Gatto) on

recycled water in car washes - also passed.The outcome was less sunny for waste and solids, with

the polysterene container ban SB 568 (Lowenthal) failingeven after a final coordinated push by groups includingPCL. A bill banning single-use plastic bags, AB 298(Brownley) never made it out of committee. AB 845 (Ma),a bill opposed by many environmental groups that preventslocal governments from restricting importation of solidwaste into their districts, passed.

2012 Legislative Session Ended Largely Where It Began

San Clemente Dam Removal Moves Closer to RealityCalifornias Largest Ever Dam Removal Planning to Break Ground by 2013has advanced through an innovative public-privatepartnership between CAW and the State CoastalConservancy, with the support of the National MarineFisheries Service and more than two dozen regional, stateand national conservation groups, elected officials andregulatory partners.

Hopefully, taking down the San Clemente Dam isjust the first of many major removals throughout the statethat will help to restore our rivers and streams back to

health, noted Bruce Reznik, Executive Director of thePlanning and Conservation League Foundation.

The project will present a final construction plan inMarch 2013 when it will seek final permit approvalsfrom Monterey County. The dam removal project isanticipated to be completed by 2015. Project partners arealso working to raise $4.5 million to achieve total fundingfor the project, and most recently received a grant of $1million from The Nature Conservancy.

California State Capitol


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PCL Out-and-About in Local CommunitiesSan Diego and San Francisco Fund-and-Friend-raisers a Success

By Bruce ReznikTo better connect with our League partners and other

nonprofits, local decision-makers and communities

throughout California, PCL has been hosting intimateevents throughout the state.

On Thursday, June 14, more than 70 guests,including elected officials like Congressman (and nowMayor-elect) Bob Filner, Supervisor Pam-Slater Price,former Councilwoman Donna Frye as well as dozensenvironmental activists, philanthropists, business leadersand concerned citizens joined PCL for a fundraising eventat the La Jolla home of William and Michelle Lerach.

Three months later, fifty guests gathered together atMark Wolfe Contemporary Art in San Franciscoon October 4 to discuss State of the Environmentin the Capitol with keynote speaker AssemblymemberJared Huffman.

At both events, PCLs Executive Director Bruce Reznikshared the important work that PCL is doing to protectthe environment in the legislative arena, including ourOne Vision, One Voicecampaign that seeks to mobilizecommunities and build coalitions around a sharedenvironmental greenprint for California.

PCL also recognized the important work of localconservationists at the celebrations. Duncan McFetridgewas honored for his critical work advocating for betterplanning to protect San Diegos backcountry, whileGreenbelt Alliance was given the David Grains Nonprofitof the Year Award for their work defending the Bay Areasiconic natural lands and agricultural heritage, and creatingwalkable, livable neighborhoods.

PCL and PCL Foundation raised more than $10,000for our critical work; equally importantly, we builtrelationships with key local partners in San Diego and SanFrancisco. Please contact Margaret Lecey ([email protected] or 916-822-5626) if you are interested in hosting orsupporting an event in your community in 2013!

Paul Johnson&

Amy White

Jerry Cahill&

Kathy King

Environmental Defense Fund Amy Bricker Nona Dennis Phyllis Faber Stuart Flashman Tamara Galanter Rachel Hooper Eneas Kane Mark Kehke Fran Layton Roger Moore Mel Owen Robert Perlmutter Tony Rossmann Paul Sedway

Richard Taylor Terry Watt Courtney Ann Coyle, Esq. Dolores Donavan Larry Remer and Shari LawsonLorena Gonzalez Deborah Seiler

Hosts

Underwriters

Thank you to our many sponsors, hosts and underwriters for making these events so successful!

Carol Baird&

Alan Harper

Amy White

PCL Executive Director Bruce Reznik with honoree Duncan McFetridge

Photo by: Kevin Roche Photography


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PLANNINGANDCONSERVATIONLEAGUE

PLANNINGANDCONSERVATIONLEAGUEFOUNDATION

1107 9THSTREET, SUITE901 Sacramento, ca 95814

Non-Proft Org.

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PAID

Sacramento, CA

Permit No. PI 1697

Changes to the PCL TeamBy Bruce Reznik

We are excited to welcome Margaret Lecey andAbigail Okrent to the PCL staff.

Margaret Lecey joined PCL in October 2012 asthe Membership & Events Coordinator. Originallyfrom Cedarburg, Wisconsin, Margarets background isin marketing and non-profit development andmembership work.

Abigail Okrent joined PCL as the LegislativeDirector in August 2012. An attorney, Abigail bringsexperience working in a number of social justice andenvironmental causes.

To read full bios of Margaret and Abigail, pleasevisitwww.pcl.org.

In addition to new staff, we are also thrilled to haveadded two new Board Members!

Denny Zane, Executive Director of Move LA, bringswith him more than 40 years of experience in theenvironmental non-profit world. He has previously servedon the Santa Monica City Council, including one term asmayor, during which time he initiated the revitalization ofthe Third Street Promenade. He wrote much of the landuse policy for Santa Monicas downtown, emphasizingpedestrian amenities, mixed-use development, and effectivetransit access before these policies became known assmart growth. Denny was also executive director of theCoalition for Clean Air, and began his career by foundingSanta Monicans for Renters Rights in the late 70s. Hecurrently heads Move LA, an organization that he created in2007 to bring together business, labor and environmentalleaders and organizations with the goal of raising significantnew funding for LA Countys transit system.

Also joining the Board is Zahirah Mann, anenvironmental attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation

of Los Angeles, where she works with communities inSouth LA and Long Beach on matters related to theCalifornia Environmental Quality Act and Health ImpactAssessments. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Zahirah workedat Strumwasser and Woocher LLP, a boutique publicinterest law firm, where she practiced environmental andelection law. She began her legal career in Natural ResourcesDefense Council working on air and water quality, andecosystems issues. Zahirah is a graduate of Vassar Collegeand Tulane University Law School. She also studied atMcGill University, in Montreal, Canada, and the AmericanUniversity in Cairo, in Cairo, Egypt.

While welcoming new staff and Board Members, we aresorry to lose some longtime members of the PCL family.

Joe Edmiston (Executive Director of the Santa MonicaMountains Conservancy) and Joan Clayburgh (ExecutiveDirector of the Sierra Nevada Alliance) have both retiredfrom the PCL Board of Directors.

Lastly, stepping down from the PCL Foundation Boardof Trustees is former PCL Executive Director and GeneralCounsel Gary Patton.

In addition to those leaving the PCL and PCLFoundation Boards, staff members Jena Price, LaurenSucher and Jonathan Bernstein have all moved on to pursueother opportunities.

Margeret Lecey Abigail Okrent

VISIT US ON THE WEB: wwwPCL.org or www.PCLFoundation.org

December 2012 California Today, PLanning and Conservation League Newsletter

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