H E A D W A T E R S . F O R E S T . A C T I O N . A L E R T Action Alert 05-05-99 ------------------------------------------------------------ A C T I O N . A L E R T . FOR CALIFORNIANS: FORESTRY REFORM BILLS PASS OUT OF FIRST COMMITTEES -- CALLS AND FAXES TO TARGETED LEGISLATORS NEEDED FOR NEXT ROUND Good news: All four forestry reform bills passed out of the Natural Resources Committees in the Assembly and Senate. All of the targetted senators and assemblymembers voted yes. THANK YOU for all of those calls and letters. They really helped. The reforms in these bills have the potential to increase enforcement of California's forest practice laws and help protect fisheries and forests recover from irresponsible timber practices. The senate bills will next be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 10 and May 17. The Assembly bills will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 19. Please check the list of assemblymembers and senators listed below to see if your representative is listed. If so, please personalize the sample letter below and fax or mail it in. If you don't have time to write a letter, just make a quick call. YOUR LEGISLATORS NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU. They are hearing from the timber industry regularly. (The legislators we have targetted below are generally friendly -- the ones who are most likely to support the bills.) ------------------------------------------------------------ HERE'S WHAT THE BILLS WILL DO There are two bills in the Assembly... (#1) AB 717 (Keeley) would require better information in timber harvest plans (THPs), make the California Department of Forestry more accountable to other agencies involved in the process, and provide much stronger penalties for violations. The penalties for illegal cutting approximate those in the state contract for the Headwaters deal: about two times the value of the timber. (#2) AB 748 (Keeley) would finally end a long-standing timber subsidy by requiring the industry to pay the costs incurred by agencies (i.e. the public) in reviewing THPs. There are two bills in the Senate... (#1) SB 620 (Sher) would require the Board of Forestry to analyze the environmental effects of clearcutting on steep slopes, especially the connection with landslides, and to adopt new rules by July 1, 2000, to protect habitat. This bill will be voted on May 17. (#2) SB 621 (Sher) would require the Board of Forestry to adopt emergency rules to protect watercourses and coho salmon. It would also impose civil penalties of up to $50,000 per day for violations of the forest practices act. This bill will be voted on on May 10. ------------------------------------------------------------ ASSEMBLYMEMBERS ON THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE Assemblymember Carole Migden (The eastern half of San Francisco) phone: 916-445-8077 fax: 916-319-2113 Assemblymember Gil Cedillo (City of Los Angeles) phone: 916-319-2046 fax: 916-319-2146 Assemblymember Susan Davis (City of San Diego) phone: 916-319-2076 fax: 916-319-2176 Assemblymember Robert Hertzberg (Los Angeles County. Cities of Canoga Park, Encino, North Hollywood, Northridge, Panorama City, Reseda, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Sun Valley, Tarzana, Van Nuys, Woodland Hills, Winnetka) phone: 916-319-2040 fax: 916-319-2140 Assemblymember Sheila Kuehl (Los Angeles County. Includes cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Encino, Malibu, Santa Monica) phone: 916-319-2041 fax: 916-319-2141 Assemblymember Lou Papan (San Mateo County. Includes cities of Burlingame, Daly City, Pacifica, South San Francisco, San Mateo, San Bruno) phone: 916-319-2019 fax: 916-319-2119 Assemblymember Gloria Romero (Los Angeles County. Includes cities of Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel) phone: 916-319-2049 fax: 916-319-2149 Assemblymember Kevin Shelley (West side of San Francisco and parts of Daly City) phone: 916-319-2012 fax: 916-319-2112 Assemblymember Darrell Steinberg (City of Sacramento) phone: 916-319-2009 fax: 916-319-2109 Assemblymember Helen Thomson (Parts of Sacramento, Yolo, and Solano County. Includes cities of Benicia, Davis, Dixon, Fairfield, Vallejo, Rio Vista, Vacaville, West Sacramento, Woodland, Suisan City) phone: 916-319-2008 fax: 916-319-2108 Assemblymember Herb Wesson (Culver City, Los Angeles) phone: 916-319-2047 fax: 916-319-2147 Assemblymember Patricia Wiggins (Santa Rosa, Napa, Sonoma, Vallejo) phone: 916-319-2007 fax: 916-319-2107 Assemblymember Roderick Wright (South Central Los Angeles) phone: 916-319-2048 fax: 916-319-2148 ------------------------------------------------------------ SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR ASSEMBLYMEMBER... The Honorable ______________ California State Assembly State Capitol Sacramento CA 95814 Via fax: (916) [see numbers above] RE: SUPPORT AB 717 and AB 748 (Keeley) Dear Assemblymember ______________, I am writing to express my strong support of AB 717 and AB 748 (Keeley). AB 717 closes loopholes in the existing timber harvest regulatory process. The bill makes three minor but important adjustments by requiring adequate information in timber harvesting plans, increasing interagency accountability concerning significant wildlife and water quality issues, and establishing civil and criminal enforcement mechanisms that remove the current profitability of illegal logging. These changes are long overdue, and will help bring resource protection through the existing timber harvest review process up to minimally adequate levels. I also strongly support AB 748. Review of timber harvesting plans by the California Department of Forestry is currently funded entirely by the public, costing taxpayers approximately $10 million per year. This arrangement is virtually unique in the state of California, where nearly all other applicants for land use permits are charged a fee to cover the costs of permit processing and environmental review. Because the applicant enjoys a private financial benefit as a result of project approval, it makes sense from a policy perspective to assess such a fee. By shifting the costs of timber harvesting plan review from the taxpayers to the industry, AB 748 would correct this discrepancy and establish equal treatment among all of California's regulated industries. The timber industry reaps revenues from these plans averaging $832,000,000 per year, and can certainly afford to be held to the same standard as everyone else. Please let me know your position on these important bills. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Your name and address (the address is important!) ------------------------------------------------------------ SENATORS ON THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senator John Vasconcellos (Santa Clara County. Includes cities of Campbell, Cupertino, San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale) phone: 916-445-9740 fax: 916-324-0283 Senator Bruce McPherson (Parts of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. Includes cities of Gilroy, Hollister, Monterey, Morgan Hill, Salinas, Santa Cruz, and Watsonville) phone: 916-445-5843 fax: 916-445-8081 Senator DeDe Alpert (San Diego, Coronado, Imperial Beach, La Jolla, Rancho Penasquitos, El Cajon) phone: 916-445-3952 fax: 916-327-2188 Senator John Burton Senate President Pro Tempore (Marin County, part of Sonoma County, and the east side of San Francisco. Incluedes Novato, San Rafael, and Petaluma) phone: 916-445-1412 fax: 916-445-4722 Senator Debra Bowen (Los Angeles County. Includes cities of Carson, Compton, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Venice, Westchester, Wilmington) phone: 916-445-5953 fax: 916- 323-6056 Senator Martha Escutia (Los Angeles County. Includes cities of Bell Gardens, Commerce, Huntington Park, Montebello, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, South El Monte, South Gate, Whittier) phone: 916-327-8315 fax: 916-327-8755 Senator Betty Karnette (Los Angeles County. Includes cities of Artesia, Avalon, Bellflower, Downey, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Signal Hill) phone: 916-445-6447 fax: 916-327-9113 Senator Patrick Johnston (all of San Joaquin County, southern part of Sacramento County including Sacramento, Stockton, and Tracy) phone: 916-445-2407 fax: 209-948-7993 Senator Don Perata (Parts of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Includes cities of Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond) phone: 916-445-6577 fax: 916-327-1997 ------------------------------------------------------------ SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR SENATOR: The Honorable ______________ California State Senate State Capitol Sacramento CA 95814 Via fax: (SEE NUMBERS ABOVE) RE: SUPPORT SB 620 AND 621 Dear Senator ____________ , I am writing to urge you to support two important forestry reform bills this year, SB 620 and SB 621. These bills would bring much needed reform to the way California's forests are managed. SB 620 would require the Board of Forestry to analyse the connections between clearcutting on steep slopes and landslides, and to adopt new rules to address the environmental impacts. SB 621 would require the Board of Forestry to adopt emergency forestry rules to protect coho salmon. Wild coho salmon, once abundant in California, have been reduced to just one percent of their historic population. This in turn has led to the loss of 35,000 jobs in the fishing industry. One of the main causes of the species decline is industrial timber operations. Please let me know your position on these bills. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Your name and address (the address is important!) ------------------------------------------------------------ T H E S E . U P D A T E S . are prepared by Headwaters Sanctuary Project and distributed by Bay Area Action <www.baaction.org>.