PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE

PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE FOUNDATION

CALIFORNIA TODAY
Newsletter of the Planning & Conservation League

June 2008

Volume 38, Number 2

Gary Patton

The Tejon Ranch

Tejon Ranch - Protected Forever

Tejon Ranch Company

On May 8, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Sought after by the State and (shown right), PCLs Gary Patton, and Board Member other conservation organizations, Terry Watt, along with dozens of others, celebrated the Tejon Ranch covers an an historic conservation agreement reached to preserve enormous range of habitats 90% of the Tejon Ranch. from the desert lowlands to the PCL, the Sierra Club, the Endangered Habitats mountain peaks. It is also home League, Audubon California, and the Natural Resources to old growth conifer forests, Defense Council entered into a dialogue with Tejon numerous riparian and wetland Ranch Company two years ago. The discussion revolved habitats, Joshua tree woodlands, around the Ranchs majestic and rugged 270,000 acres wildflower fields and grasslands. of land. The property lies at the juncture of Los Angeles Such diversity within a single land ownership is unheard and Kern Counties and is the largest contiguous private of and truly extraordinary. This land documents what ownership in the state. Glimpses of the property can be historic California looked like and documents the important seen on the east as you drive the I-5 freeway in an area natural resource values of the state. known as the Grapevine. The Nature Conservancy said, Winding through The agreement reached between the Tejon Ranch the Tehachapi Mountains just one hour north of Los Company and the conservation groups will provide Angeles exists what is arguably the most vital wildlife permanent protection for 240,000 acres of the most corridor in North America, a vast collection of open spectacular wildlife habitat in California. Absent this landscapes linking the 2,000-mile-long Sierra Nevada agreement, the Company could have sold off pieces of and Cascade Mountain Ranges to the east, and the this extraordinary landscape, forever destroying its natural 800-mile-long Sierra Madre, Transverse and Peninsular resource values. Instead, the integrity of the property Mountain chain to the west. will be permanently protected. To put the significance Tejon Ranch is an invaluable piece of Californias of the agreement into perspective, 240,000 acres is: natural heritage and PCL is proud to have played a One third the size of Yosemite National Park significant part of creating this legacy for everyone, Eight times the size of San Francisco forever. Learn more about the conservation of the More than twice the size of Redwood National and Tejon Ranch with our special California Today insert. State Parks. 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: pclmail@pcl.org 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. 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 GERALD H. MERAL, Trustee

PCL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

BILL CENTER, President KEVIN JOHNSON, Senior Vice President SAGE SWEETWOOD, President Emeritus JOHN VAN DE KAMP, President Emeritus BILL LEIMBACH, Secretary-Treasurer

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS

ELISABETH BROWN JAN CHATTEN-BROWN PHYLLIS FABER DOROTHY GREEN RICK HAWLEY FRAN LAYTON DOUG LINNEY DAVID MOGAVERO STEPHANIE PINCETL LYNN SADLER TERESA VILLEGAS TERRY WATT BILL YEATES

ORGANIZATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS

Big Sur Land Trust Breathe California, Sacramento-Emigrant Trails California Association of Local Conservation Corps California Oak Foundation 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 TINA ANDOLINA, Legislative Director BARB BYRNE, Water Policy Assistant EVON CHAMBERS, Water Policy Assistant REN GUERRERO, Project Manager - Legislative Advocate CHARLOTTE HODDE, Water Policy Specialist DR. MONICA HUNTER, Central Coast Water Project Manager MINDY McINTYRE, Water Program Manager JONAS MINTON, Senior Water Policy Advisor GARY A. PATTON, General Counsel GERALD PEREZ, Administrative Director JUSTIN SAYDELL, Sierra Nevada Americorp Member MATT VANDER SLUIS, Global Warming Project Manager CHRIS WARD, Database Manager MELANIE SCHLOTTERBECK, Grants & Outreach Consultant

PCL Board Member Terry Watt wrote her first letter to the Irvine Company when she was just a teenager. She believed at the time, and still does, that we should make our voices heard to protect Californias land, and she vowed that she somehow would make a difference. Last month, after many years of work, Terry celebrated what many hail as the largest conservation and land use agreement in California history--a plan to protect the largest contiguous privately held land in California. The first time Terry saw Tejon Ranch was returning from a family trip a decade ago. Of course, at that time there was no way to get access to the private Ranch, so Terrys first real tour was only this year. It was on that tour that she discovered the Ranchs beauty, scale, diversity, and grandeur -- a place she thought could only be compared to a national park. Back in 1997, the Ranch had just become a publicly traded company. She saw that there were brand new monument signs that had just been erected, and she knew there was no time to lose -- she wanted to find a way to protect the legacy of the Ranch. Shortly thereafter, she had dinner with Terry Tamminen, who at that time was with Environment Now, and together they launched the initial work plan to develop a conservation plan for the land. Fast forward to over 10 years later, Terry found herself in the final negotiations on the fate of the Ranch. After many years of failed attempts and negotiations, it appeared that they were really on track to accomplish something unprecedented -to permanently protect the vast majority of the lands. It is because of her leadership, attitude and optimistic persistence that lead the negotiations to a final agreement. Terry had vision -- she changed the conversation from acres preserved to conservation accomplished. Her peers describe her as thoughtful and confident in her decision-making and she has the unique ability to bring together uncommon, if not unheard of, interests. Even with the stops and starts of negotiations throughout the process, the unprecedented agreement was reached because more than anything else, Terry was committed to the effort. We are so pleased with the effort and pleased to have leaders like Terry on our Board of Directors. Ask Terry what shell do now that its over and she smiles.... Shed like to spend some time in her Bay Area urban garden. But then she stops and reconsiders.... of course there is saving the Donner Summit!
Terry in her Bay Area garden.

Sincerely, Traci Sheehan Executive Director

California Affiliate National Wildlife Federation

CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

Mark Karwowski

Breathe California
By: Jenna Schwan

Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails has been a champion in fighting for clean air, healthy lungs and a tobacco free future in the Sacramento region for more than 90 years. It is one of the oldest and most active nonprofit agencies in the Sacramento area, committed to serving the needs of the local community. Whether focusing on the community, building coalitions and consensus or working to make positive changes, Breathe California has made a positive impact on the health and well-being of Northern California residents. Our comprehensive approach to health issues is the impetus to our success. Originally founded in 1917 as the Sacramento Tuberculosis Association, the organization played a key role in bringing the areas tuberculosis under control and tackled emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma while leading efforts to reduce tobacco use and clean up the regions air. The efforts of the association and many environmental groups helped pass the Clean Air Initiative and its funding for transit programs, which ultimately brought light-rail transit to the Capitol. In addition, other programs dealing with agricultural burning, automobile maintenance, and land-use and transportation have helped to reduce air pollution. A key aspect of our work is local, health impact studies. Our most recent study, conducted by Dr. Thomas

Cahill at the University of California, Davis, shows that certain types of vegetation planted along The members of Breathe Californias Youth roadways can Advisory Board enhance all of our projects by remove as much including the youth voice. as 85% of dangerous particulate pollution. Redwood and deodar were superior; the evergreens acted like bottle brushes, their needled branches providing more surface area with which to catch particles than the flat, comparatively broad leaves of live oak. Planting trees doesnt by itself solve the problem of particle pollution. Roadway design is important, too. For instance, separating freeways and thoroughfares from homes, businesses and schools with manmade sound walls as well as vegetative barriers creates a chimney effect, pushing polluted air up, away from where people breathe. Median strips planted with evergreens enhance the upward air movement. Existing buildings close to busy roads also should be outfitted with air filters to protect the occupants. Finally, the number one action to minimize the health threat of traffic pollution is this: Drive the cleanest possible vehicles and drive as little as possible. Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails is proud to be an organizational board member of PCL. To learn more about Breathe California and its many innovative programs for youth and adults, visit www.SacBreathe.org.

Breathe California

CEQA Guide Goes Spanish

By: Justin Saydell

Mark Your Calendar

By: Melanie Schlotterbeck

The PCL Foundations CEQA workshops and Community Guide to CEQA (authored by PCL Board Member Bill Yeates) offers residents the opportunity to understand the CEQA process. This July, a Spanish edition will be available. We hope the translated Guide will help Spanish-speaking individuals effectively participate in the environmental review process.

PCL and the PCL Foundation are currently planning the 2009 Symposium for Saturday, February 7th. It is because of members like you that we hold this event, therefore we want to involve you in the selection of our How To... Workshops, policy panels, and MCLE courses. Watch for an email so that you can vote for sessions that will help you most. And mark your calendar for February 7th in Sacramento.

Feb. 7

CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

Breathe California

Is this a Banner Year for the Environment?

By: Tina Andolina

Last summer, the republican leaders in the State Senate held the budget hostage for 53 days in an attempt to strip the states ability to use our most important environmental law - the California Environmental Quality Act - to address global warming and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. While nursing homes and teachers were not paid, these senators unsuccessfully tried to roll back the significant progress California has made to improve our quality of life and protect our environment. All indications are that these same legislators are gearing up for another attack and that they will again use the budget crisis to push their anti-environment agenda. This time the Senate Republican leadership has announced that they want to delay implementation of AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act. They are also trying to block much needed regulations designed to finally clean up the dirtiest and most polluting diesel trucks that move goods along our highways and through our communities. Rolling back environmental safeguards and public health measures is not a solution to our budget problems. In fact, such actions would likely only make the problem worse. The health costs related to pollution from our goods movement system alone will reach $200 billion over the next two decades unless we take significant steps to address the problem.

Measures making their way through the legislatures, including SB 974 (Lowenthal) - The Clean Ports Investment Bill which will generate a steady stream of funding to reduced goods movement pollution along with the upcoming diesel truck regulation and global warming measures, will move the state toward a sustainable and healthy environment while at the same time saving the state money. Despite the budget crunch, 2008 has the potential to be a banner year for the environment. If our decision-makers understand that maintaining a clean and healthy environment and developing an economy based on green jobs for the 21st century is our future, then this year we will see measures passed and signed that take on the tough challenges we face and implement solutions which truly leave us with a healthy economy and environment. We know that given the size of the budget deficit, even the best environmental champions will be pressured to weaken the protections weve worked so hard to put in place. We will need your help to ensure California gets the budget and future it deserves. Here is what you can do: Sign up for our alerts at www.PCL.org. Take action when our alerts are sent out. Have your organization sign on in support of PCL sponsored legislation.

Water Reform Hits the Legislature

By: Mindy McIntyre

The Water Efficiency and Security Act of 2008 (WESA) is being championed by Assembly Member Krekorian. This Assembly Bill 2153 is the first of its kind and was pioneered to ensure that California can maintain water supply reliability for our people, economy and environment even as we accommodate growth and adapt to climate change. WESA requires new residential and commercial developments to minimize their water demand by using proven water efficiency measures, such as smart sprinklers, capturing storm water runoff, and using low flow toilets and showerheads. In addition, the bill requires that developments must completely compensate for any remaining water demands by implementing water efficiency measures and sustainable water supply projects within their local watershed.

WESA requires that 40% of the mitigation projects are achieved in disadvantaged communities. This ensures that these communities are not left behind as California adapts to our new water future. These communities, already struggling with failing water systems, will benefit from water efficiency and infrastructure replacement programs. Assembly Member Krekorians prudent measure provides a mechanism to allow regions to improve water reliability while also accommodating the growing population--expected to reach nearly 60 million by 2050. In doing so, AB 2153 will help reduce the pressure that climate change, contamination, and drought are placing on our water resources, including the Colorado River, the Bay Delta Estuary, and our groundwater.

CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

Tejon Ranch Company

The Tejon Ranch - A California Legacy Forever Protected

From coast redwoods to Joshua trees, from glacially carved mountains to the fertile Central Valley, Californias landscapes are as diverse as its population. Only a few places remain in our state where the condors soar from ridge to ridge, where pine trees reach upward to touch the sky, where the wind and grasses dance together on gently rolling slopes, and where the vast expanses of open space seem to go on forever. One such special place, known as the Serengeti of California, still exists today. The Tejon Ranch comprises the largest private ownership of contiguous land in the state. On May 8, 2008 the Planning and Conservation League along with four other environmental organizations announced a conservation agreement that preserves 90% of the 270,000 acre Tejon Ranch. The preservation of 240,000 contiguous acres of the Tejon Ranch enacts the states largest conservation agreement between environmental organizations and a private landowner. PCL celebrates this historic moment with California and the conservation community.

For Everyone, Forever

The Tejon Ranch is one of the most environmentally remarkable collections of ecosystems in California. I want to commend ranch owners and the environmental community participants for working hard to ensure that
Tejon Ranch Company

future generations get the opportunity to experience this wonderful gift. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) C

The Planning and Conservation League 1107 9th Street, Suite 360 Sacramento, CA 95814

Landscapes United
California comes together at Tejon Ranch, as the Ranch lies at the confluence of four major ecological regions. It sits at the southernmost end of the Central Valley, provides a buffer from the Los Angeles Basin, and connects the southern Sierra on the east to the Coast Range on the west. The agreement protects the grasslands, wildflower fields and Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert. Going west, it protects the oak woodlands of the rugged Tehachapi Mountains, and to the north, the last remaining natural lands at the edge of the San Joaquin Valley. This remarkable land also provides a refuge for Californias rare and wonderful wildlife, like tule elk, cougars, badgers and condors.

Conservation Visions United

PCL worked collaboratively with other major environmental organizations to complete this complicated conservation agreement. Our common vision always included the protection and connection of the states most important east-west landscape linkage. The effort prevents the formidable challenge of dealing with the Ranchs 270,000 acres on a project by project basis. Our efforts ensure the people of California can now visit land that few of us have ever been on -- land that gives us a glimpse into what historic California once looked like. Visitors can enjoy the property via the popular Pacific Crest Trail, which will be re-aligned through the Ranch. Magnificent vistas, free flowing creeks, and valleys teeming with wildlife are now protected as a California legacy, for everyone, forever.

Tejon Ranch Company

Conservation Organizations United

Tejon Ranch Company

San Clemente Dam

By: Dr. Monica Hunter

What would you do with an obsolete, antiquated dam filled with two million cubic yards of mud? Tear it down. That is what the California Coastal Conservancy is proposing to do on the Carmel River in Monterey County. New studies conducted by the Conservancy show that removing the dam will restore access to over 25 miles of high quality steelhead habitat, and also provide a range of benefits to the community including resolution of the seismically weak dam structure. That is good news to local residents who also want to see a solution for the dam -- a dam that poses a threat to downstream residents according to the Division of Safety of Dams of the Department of Water Resources. Recent community meetings conducted by PCLF provided local residents with an up close view of the proposed project and a chance to voice their support for the project. Project team members including the Coastal Conservancy, NOAA Fisheries, and PCLF were all on hand to help provide information about the dam removal project. PCLF has been a key player in coordinating action to achieve dam removal as a major component of a watershed management strategy jointly developed with the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy. The dam, which no longer meets water supply needs, has caused long-term impacts to watershed resources as well as the Carmel Lagoon and beach. PCLF has actively supported the Coastal Conservancys actions to develop a plan for dam removal that will restore watershed resources

Department of Water Resources

The San Clemente Dam during a major water event. Because the dam is so full, water has only one place to travel, over the dam.

as well as meet local community needs. Key issues identified in recent meetings will be the focus of a series of informational summer workshops to educate residents on progress, and to provide local input to the final design of the Conservancys project. The project is expected to begin construction in 2010 and is very likely to be the first major dam removal project in California. PCLF sees this work as an important model for action that will help to pave the way not only for California to deal with aging dams in the state, but also for others facing the challenge of protecting watersheds and wildlife resources across the country.
CanStockPhoto.com

Land-Sea Connections for Marine Policy

By: Dr. Monica Hunter

Making connections between coastal land use and impacts to marine resources was the focus of PCLFs Coast and Ocean Regional Roundtables (CORRT) conducted in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties in March, funded by the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation. Invited speakers engaged CORRT participants in discussion of leading issues and research priorities essential to improved marine resource management for the Central Coast region. Presentations focused on collaborative work utilizing decades of coastal stream water quality monitoring data and a new understanding of trends and changes in intertidal and nearshore marine habitat. CORRT

partners including the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo County, the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Morro Bay National Estuary Program, and the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club. All partners provided a local link to participation of coastal watershed groups, marine conservation groups, and agency resource managers. Regional strategies will guide the next steps of the CORRT project as PCLF continues action to support successful implementation of Californias Marine Life Protection Act and the California Ocean Protection Act.

CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

Health and the San Joaquin Valley

By: Ren Guerrero

There exists an important nexus between our health and the surrounding environment. Unsound land use and flawed transportation planning affects peoples lifestyles and may contribute to coronary vascular disease, diabetes, and asthma and exposes people to toxins and pollutants. In 2003, the American Journal of Public Health stated that one of the challenges faced by our current generation is to not only better understand the impacts of the built environment on health, but also to enhance existing communities and build future communities that promote physical and mental health. Community leaders, government officials, social scientists, health advocates, architects and planners need to think about the direction of transportation, housing, and land use initiatives, and implement community designs and land use choices that will enhance the physical, mental and social well being of the public. For example, the health impact from moving goods from one point to another has deleterious health effects not only for the residents in the immediate vicinity, but also add emissions and pollutants that perpetuate climate change. Heavy-duty diesel trucks transport freight and produce across the state and are the largest source of diesel pollution in California. For instance, the health effects of diesel pollution on the residents in the San Joaquin Valley are disturbing. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimated that in 2005 diesel exhaust from trucks alone was responsible

for 1,500 premature deaths in California with a total economic cost of approximately $12 billion due to hospitalizations, asthma attacks, and missed work and school days. Pollutants in diesel exhaust, such as particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) compounds, Pollution from diesel trucks increase cause inflammation of health problems throughout California. the brain leading to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers, pulmonary diseases like lung cancer, emphysema, bronchitis and asthma, and cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, retrofitting diesel trucks with PM and NOx controls, or upgrading to newer trucks that meet EPAs standards would reduce these emissions by more than 85 percent. The CARB is developing the On-Road Diesel Rule to clean up the toxic emissions from trucks, buses, and other diesel-powered vehicles. The Board hearing is scheduled for October 2008. An adopted and implemented regulation will reduce diesel pollution, and is needed to improve Californias air quality and protect public health.

iStockPhoto.com

PCL Foundation Offers Local Climate Action Toolkit

By: Matt Vander Sluis

To find out more, visit: http://www.PCLFoundation.org/projects/localclimateaction.html

CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

CanStockPhoto.com

With passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), California has embarked upon a breathtaking endeavor - to halt the growth of greenhouse gas emissions statewide and then reduce our annual emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020. However, while many local government agencies are helping the State lower the carbon footprint of their region, most continue to dig the hole deeper, approving new residential and commercial developments that deny new residents the opportunity to live lower-carbon lifestyles. You can make a difference today by helping your local public agencies make climate-conscious development

decisions. To help you, weve launched our Local Climate Action Initiative with a new toolkit and workshop series. Our initiative provides practical information and campaign strategy advice to help local organizations choose wisely among the plethora of emerging engagement opportunities. We also share success stories from other communities and help connect individuals working on similar issues. Contact Matt Vander Sluis at 916-313-4515 for more information.

Teaming With Wildlife Fly-In Day

By: Phyllis Faber, PCL Board Member

On February 27th, 153 people from 43 states gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual Teaming with Wildlife Fly-In Day program sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). The program brings together wildlife enthusiasts from across the country to lobby Members of Congress to support each states Wildlife Grant Program. The State Wildlife Grants Program provides federal dollars to each state to support conservation efforts aimed at preventing wildlife from becoming endangered. The presumption is that prevention of wildlife loss rather than protecting endangered species is the most effective use of taxpayer money. I participated in the Fly-in from California and scrambled around the great distances between the House and Senate offices to get to the seven appointments I had been able to set up with California delegation members and their staff the second day of the Fly-In. There is great support in the California delegation for this program according to those that I saw and it

was inspiring to see the energy of all the young staffers. Senator Feinstein had been given an award last year for her leadership in the Wildlife Grants Program and it was fun to see it hanging in her office. After the successful event, we are still building support for the State Wildlife Grants Program for the upcoming budget year. More than 210 Members of Congress have signed on to the Dear Colleague letter seeking $85 million for the Program. This year, one of the key requests made to Congress, was for support of the inclusion of wildlife funding in any climate change bill. As temperatures become hotter, freshwater becomes more scarce and sea level continues to rise, entire ecosystems will likely start changing. Wildlife will be forced to move and adapt. Funding to help wildlife will become increasingly important. One of the key bills before Congress that addresses global warming while also providing funding to assist wildlife, is the Climate Security Act introduced in December by Senators Lieberman

and Warner. While seeking funds for the State Wildlife Grants Program, I also asked the members of Californias delegation to support this important bill. NWF says this bill represents a tremendous opportunity for wildlife and for people. Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of NWF says, Global warming poses an unprecedented threat to wildlife, and it requires an unprecedented commitment of financial resources to the conservation of wildlife and natural resources. This investment, and the overriding legislation to reduce global warming pollution, is critical if we hope to help wildlife and natural resources survive the climate changes already underway. This is one of the most significant investments we can make to protect our childrens future.

On The Edge: Fish & Wildlife at Risk from Global Warming

By: Matt Vander Sluis

In May, PCL Foundation and the NWF released ON THE EDGE: Protecting Californias Fish and Waterfowl from Global Warming, a report that describes the impacts of global warming on Californias salmon and other wildlife and provides achievable, effective solutions to better manage our aquatic habitats. Global warming is already taking a toll on Californias waterways and the $8.2 billion outdoor recreation economy they sustain. If business continues as usual, the spring-run Chinook salmon could disappear from the Central Valley; the California state fish, the golden trout, may vanish from the Sierra Nevada; and mallards and pintails could lose their remaining wetland habitats.

Most of Californias ecosystems are already fragile, having withstood years of pressure from human activities. Without decisive action, global warming could push them over the edge. Fortunately, California has the opportunity to enact legislation this year to reduce the strain on these species by ensuring that demand for our water does not grow (AB 2153). To download the report, visit: http://www.PCLFoundation.org/projects/OnTheEdge.pdf

CALIFORNIA TODAY Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation

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Our Work to Strengthen CEQA

By: Traci Sheehan

SB 1165, authored by Senator Shelia Kuehl from Santa Monica, continues PCLs proud tradition of defending and enhancing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), our states premier environmental law. This bill will close two loopholes which have allowed developers to scuttle public participation. First, the bill will ensure that the public has the ability to review all drafts of Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), just as developers and their paid consultants do currently. Second, the measure requires an EIR that is older than five years be reviewed before it can be used to approve a project. This will give the public an opportunity to identify new environmental impacts and needed mitigation measures. In April, Elva Yaez from Audubon and Stephanie Taylor from Green LA came to Sacramento to testify before the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on behalf of SB 1165. They spoke for the East Los Angeles volunteers and activists who worked for many years to stop a proposed housing development of 24 luxury homes on Elephant Hill in the community of El Sereno -- a low-income and predominantly Latino

community. Elephant Hill is one of the last undeveloped hillsides in the area-a rare piece of land with over 110 acres of gently sloping undeveloped land that was being eyed by a development company. The original EIR for the project was done in 1992. In 2004, despite widespread community opposition and the fact that the project was expanded by 50 percent, Los Angeles approved the project based on the outdated and inadequate original EIR. Over 200 residents attended the hearing only to find after a closed session that the development would indeed move forward. Fortunately, unlike so many others, this story does not end there. After an 18 month campaign waged by local community residents and with the help of City Councilmember Jose Huizar, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to require a supplemental EIR to address the public safety and additional cumulative impacts related to the expanded project. SB 1165 is now supported by over 50 environmental and community based groups, many of whom have been fighting developments similar to Elephant Hill. By pooling our

You Can Help

PCL has launched a letter writing campaign to help get important environmental legislation through the various legislative Committees. Visit our website: www.PCL.org to select a letter to write: Support Strengthening CEQA This bill will close two loopholes which have allowed developers to scuttle public participation. Support Water Conservation This bill ensures water reliability and security for new developments and develops a funding stream to increase efficiencies in existing housing. resources and coming together to pass SB 1165 we can ensure future environmental documents are current and that local residents can fully participate in the process. To find out more about what you can do to support this legislation visit www.PCL.org.