January
27, 2006
California
State
Assembly
Committee
on Water, Parks and Wildlife
Dear Chairwoman Wolk and
Committee Members,
I'm writing to encourage you to
provide significant funding for parks and conservation programs within the
infrastructure bond bills under consideration. This funding is both needed and
supported by the residents of California as demonstrated by a lack of park space
in urban areas, an increase in pollution, decline in adolescent health, loss of
natural habitats and the consistent approval by voters of legislation such as
Propositions 40 and 50 to deal with these problems.
It has been almost 4 years since
the last bond was approved for these programs, so funding is beginning to dry
up. If a large infrastructure bond
is approved without adequate resources dedicated to these issues, important
state agencies such as the Coastal Conservancy and Wildlife Conservation Board
will not be able to continue to carry out their missions to address the
above. Not only will there be
insufficient funding, the size of the infrastructure bond will eliminate their
ability to raise any new funds for many years to come.
Attached are descriptions of some
coastal areas in California that
need restoring. Only through the
help of state agencies that have developed the expertise to raise funding from a
variety of sources (not just state funds), and provide the technical expertise
developed over many years, can important areas such as these be restored for the
generations to come. These areas
are just a small example of the need and desire to continue such programs.
It's very important for all the
members of the committee to consider the consequences of failing to adequately
fund these types of programs in a large bond that will in all likelihood,
lock-out the funding pool that allows this work to continue. It is not unreasonable for the public to
expect $10 billion of a $200+ billion infrastructure bond to accommodate these
programs. In fact, including sufficient funding
for these programs will enhance the probability of voter approval, while
excluding it will have the opposite effect.
I urge you to send a strong
message to the conference committee that an infrastructure bond must include
significant funding for these types of programs.
Sincerely,
William Brand
President
South
Bay Parkland
Conservancy
January 27, 2006
cc
State Senator Debra Bowen -
28th District
Assemblymember Ted Lieu -
53rd District
Mayor Mike Gin -
Redondo Beach
Sam Schuchat - State Coastal
Conservancy
Al Wright - Wildlife Conservation
Board
Oceanside -
Loma Alta Creek Treatment Facility and Wetland Enhancement
Project
City of Oceanside, Clean Water Program
October 11, 2005
The Loma
Alta Creek Lagoon and neighboring
Buccaneer
Beach, located in the City of
Oceanside, California are visited by thousands of people each year for a number
of recreational activities. Buccaneer
Beach is an attractive sand beach,
heavily frequented by families, and is adjacent to
Buccaneer
Park, which offers concessions and
ample parking, making the area one of the City's most popular places for aquatic
recreation. However, the lagoon suffers from high levels of bacteria, which
directly impact the ocean water quality at
Buccaneer
Beach, and from adjacent blighted
industrial properties that are considered detrimental to the health and public
enjoyment of Loma
Alta
Creek and lagoon.
The City of
Oceanside proposes a $4,300,000
project to enhance and enlarge the Loma Alta Lagoon and install ultraviolet (UV)
light treatment on the discharge from the lagoon to the public beach. While the City owns most of the
surrounding property, there are two remaining parcels that would be purchased as
part of this project. All buildings
would be removed and the land would be graded to enhance and dramatically
enlarge the lagoon with additional public parking made available. Reclaiming
these blighted industrial areas for lagoon enlargement and enhancement with the
additional step of the installation of a UV treatment system is expected to
result in increased recreational and educational opportunities for local
residents and visitors, as well as stop beach postings due to high bacteria
levels during the dry weather months.
For more
information regarding this project, please contact Guss Pennell, Environmental
Regulatory Compliance Officer for the City of
Oceanside, at 760-435-5804 or at gpennell@ci.oceanside.ca.us.
Morro Bay -
The small fishing
village of Morro Bay with its
trademark 576-foot-high
Morro Rock is nestled next to
a picturesque state and national estuary that
is oddly
juxtaposed against a 50-year-old power plant with
looming
450-foot smokestacks. None of the 10,000
residents of
Morro Bay or the inhabitants of
San
Luis
Obispo
County had any voice in the initial siting
of
the plant back then before environmental protection of
coastlines was
an issue. However, now that the owner
Duke Energy has announced plans to sell
the plant, the
community is eager to explore removal of the plant and
open
the way to waterfront restoration combined with
possible alternative
commercial uses of the 107-acre
blighted industrial site.
The City
Council has listened to an excited public,
which has offered a multitude of
ideas ranging from a
art and cultural center to a marine museum to
an
aquarium, each oriented toward visitor-serving uses.
Their vision has
inspired the Council to move forward
with the formation of a committee of
Council members
and citizens to investigate the feasibility, options
and
potential funding of such an undertaking, for
which there are no road maps.
The committee has made
its priority a search for grants to assist in
securing
expert assistance for charting a set of goals that
would qualify
as a public use project under provisions
of California Public Resources Code,
Chapter 7,
Division 21, Section 31300-31315.
Jack McCurdy
805-772-3113
pjmccurdy@sbcglobal.net
La Jolla -
This project involves the
restoration and enhancement of the facilities at
Ellen
Browning Scripps
Park located in the village
La Jolla. The park is a 5.6-acre coastal site that abuts
the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park. First established in 1894 the park has
had continual use by the citizens of San
Diego and is a popular international tourist destination.
La Jolla Cove is located on the northern edge of the park and it serves as the
primary access way for divers who explore the
Underwater
Park.
Facilities at the park have been
in deteriorating condition for years. In 1988 the local coastal plan called for
a park "master plan" that would provide a logical basis to deal with numerous
issues that plague the facility. A group of local citizens with representatives
from the City of San Diego and all
of the various community planning organizations was formed in 2002. Calling
themselves the Scripps Park Project they began planning and fund raising for a
community workshop that would develop a concept master plan and a list of
guiding principles for the park. That workshop was held on November 18, it was
facilitated by the landscape firm of Campbell and Campbell and was well attended
by concerned citizens and public officials. The plan and report will be ready
for public review in early 2006. Following is a list of some of the key elements
that will be a part of that plan:
·
The Underwater
Park is designated in the California
Ocean Plan as an Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS). The California
Ocean Plan clearly states that wastewater cannot be discharged into an ASBS. The
Scripps
Park storm water drainage system
regularly pollutes the Underwater
Park and workshop participants were
adamant about their desire to see this situation resolved.
·
The park is not compliant with current
ADA standards in numerous
areas.
·
Erosion caused by irrigation and hardscape runoff threatens the fragile
bluff formations at the park perimeter
·
The park is in need of an interpretive center and appropriate signage to
educate the public on the long history of the site and the adjacent
Underwater
Park.
·
75% of the perimeter of the park consists of coastal bluffs. The effect
of shoreline process' on those bluffs, wave action in particular, has created a
number of safety concerns over the proximity of certain existing improvements to
those receding bluffs.
The planning for improvements to
Ellen
Browning Scripps
Park is incomplete at this time. To
date the Scripps Park Project has been a textbook case for appropriate planning
procedure in the public coastal domain. Their efforts are bound to lead the way
towards revitalization of this important facility. The estimated cost for those
improvements is estimated at 8 to 9 million. A funding strategy will accompany
the upcoming report.
Mark Holmes
619-548-4186
La Jolla Conservancy
Redondo
Beach
-
Redondo
Beach
has an urban waterfront of 10,000 residents per square mile. A
large portion is blighted by industrial land, 22 acres of
fuel-oil storage tanks that have no use, and a 40 year old power
plant that operates infrequently. This 65 acre area was the subject
of an advisory vote in the March 8th, 2005 municipal election. The
residents rejected a 'mixed-use' development plan, and voted instead to
restore it for public use as park, open space and some visitor serving
commercial uses as needed. Cost of this project would likely exceed $30
million.
Many of the 500,000+ residents of the South
Bay area of Los Angeles would be affected by the future use of this land, and it
is the position of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy and many of the local
government leaders such as Rep. Jane Harman, State Senator Debra Bowen,
State Assemblyman Ted Lieu, Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, as well
as local officials such as Redondo Beach Mayor, Mike Gin,
and council persons in surrounding communities that this land be
acquired for public use as provided for in California Public Resources Code,
Chapter 7, Division 21, Section 31300-31315.
For more
information regarding this project, please contact Bill Brand, South Bay
Parkland Conservancy- President, PO Box 7000-408, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 or at
310-809-4405, bbrand@earthlink.net.
Oxnard -
The proposal is to acquire 36.5
acres, in Oxnard, to serve as an
Ormond
Wetlands Gateway
Park. The
Gateway
Park site is an integral part of the
South Oxnard Community whose demographics and needs are as follows: a critical
lack of parks; a shortage of services for youth, many of whom are at risk; the
existence of significant poverty and unemployment. In addition to meeting the
critical and immediate need of open space and recreation for an underserved and
disadvantaged community, the park will provide direct access to one of the most
significant wetland restoration projects in Southern
California which will include at least 750 acres with a
two-mile-long beach. Over 200 migratory bird species are reported for the
Ormond Beach area, and more
shorebird species are known to use Ormond
Beach than any other site in
Ventura
County. Six threatened and endangered
species and six species of concern have been identified.
Development within the park will
include a visitor center with exhibits depicting Chumash history, the importance
and function of wetlands and the history of water in
Ventura County. An elevated boardwalk trail with
interpretive and informative signage will provide controlled access to the
wetlands and beach. The boardwalks will be compatible with habitat restoration
and species protection, with benches and observation platforms. Docents from
South
Oxnard will point
out native wildlife and plants on these acres as well as on the wetlands in its
entirety.
This project will provide the
community of South
Oxnard with an area
to identify as a major asset. It is an aesthetic enhancement along a designated
scenic route that will emphasize the importance of a functioning wetlands and
preserve the health of California's southern coast. It will host educational
and training programs for the underserved neighborhood and its youth. By
fostering youth involvement we will build a sense of environmental stewardship
and community. Cost of this project is expected to be $28
million.
--- charles
godwin
--- godwinc@earthlink.net