DEADLINE FOR FAXED LETTERS FROM ORGANIZATIONS- WEDNESDAY AUGUST 2
DEADLINE FOR CALLS TO INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS- TUESDAY AUGUST 8
Assembly Appropriations hearing: August 9, 2000
SB 1540 is sponsored by Friends of the River and the South Yuba River Citizens League. Authored by Senator Byron Sher (D-Palo Alto), the bill authorizes the Resources Secretary to conduct a statewide inventory and studies of abandoned, non-functioning, and marginally functioning dams that could be removed to restore endangered salmon and steelhead fisheries.
The bill builds on an existing effort by the CALFED Bay Delta Program to remove dams to restore endangered fish in the Central Valley. The bill would essentially expand the inventory and studies to other regions in the state that are not addressed by CALFED. Passage of the bill could help provide critical state funding for studies to remove the Niles and Sunol dams on Alameda Creek in Alameda County, Searsville dam on San Francisquito Creek in San Mateo County, San Clemente dam on the Carmel River, Matilija dam on the Ventura River, and Rindge dam on Malibu Creek.
But Central Valley agricultural water interests, including the Northern California
Water Association, are vigorously opposing the bill -- even though the bill does not
duplicate or affect existing CALFED efforts, only requires studies, and does not actually
mandate removal of any dams. Other opponents include the California Farm Bureau and
the Regional Council of Rural Counties.
SB 1540 enjoys the strong support of many conservation, angling, and civic organizations, including Friends of the River, South Yuba River Citizens League, Sierra Club California, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, California Trout, California League of Women Voters, the Gray Panthers, National Audubon Society-California, and many others.
SB 1540 passed the Senate on a 24 to 12 partisan vote on June 1. Since its approval by the Senate, the bill has already cleared its first hurdle in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. But it now faces an uncertain future before the Assembly Appropriations Committee because a $1.5 million appropriation to implement the bill in 2001 was cut from the state budget by the Senate/Assembly budget conference committee. Supporters of the bill hope to resolve this situation by amending the bill to appropriate money from the coastal salmon habitat restoration program established by Proposition 13, which was approved by state voters in March.
What You Can Do:
Call or write and fax a letter today to your Assemblymember (State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814). Urge him or her to vote for SB 1540, Senator Byron Sher's dam removal study bill. If your Assemblymember sits on the Assembly Appropriations Committee, be sure to urge them to support an amendment to the bill that appropriates money for its implementation in 2001. You can inform the Assembly Appropriations Committee staff of your support by calling (916) 319-2081(fax -2181). Please also fax a copy to FOR at (916) 442-3396.
Assembly Appropriations Committee members:
Member
District Phone/fax (all are 319-)
E-mail
Carole Migden Dem-13
(916) 319-2013/2113
Assemblymember.Migden@assembly.ca.gov
Bill Campbell
Rep-71 (916) 319-2071/2171
Assemblyman.Campbell@assembly.ca.gov
Dick Ackerman Rep-72
(916) 319-2072/2172
Abel Maldonado Rep-33
(916) 319-2033/2133
George Runner Rep-36
(916) 319-2036/2136
a36@assembly.ca.gov
Roy Ashburn
Rep-32 (916) 319-2032/2132
roy.ashburn@assembly.ca.gov
Marilyn C. Brewer Rep-70
(916) 319-2070/2170
a70@assembly.ca.gov
Charlene Zettel Rep-75
(916) 319-2075/2175
Elaine Alquist
Dem-22
(916) 319-2022/2122
Assemblywoman.Alquist@assembly.ca.gov
Susan Davis
Dem-76 (916) 319-2076/2176
Assemblymember.Davis@assembly.ca.gov
Sheila James Kuehl Dem-41
(916) 319-2041/2141
Louis J. Papan
Dem-19
(916) 319-2019/2119
a19@assembly.ca.gov
Helen Thomson Dem-8
(916) 319-2008/2108
helen.thomson@assembly.ca.gov
Gil Cedillo
Dem-46 (916) 319-2046/2146
Kevin Shelley
Dem-12 (916) 319-2012/2112
Kevin.Shelley@assembly.ca.gov
Ellen M. Corbett Dem-18
(916) 319-2018/2118
Assemblymember.Corbett@assembly.ca.gov
Gloria Romero
Dem-49
(916) 319-2049/2149
Gloria.Romero@assembly.ca.gov
Herb Wesson
Dem-47 (916) 319-2047/2147
Roderick Wright Dem-48
(916) 319-2048/2148
Assemblymember.Wright@assembly.ca.gov
Dion Aroner
Dem-14 (916) 319-2014/2114
Assemblymember.Aroner@assembly.ca.gov
Patricia Wiggins Dem-7
(916) 319-2007/2107
Assemblymember.Wiggins@assembly.ca.gov
You can determine the name and fax or phone number of your Assemblymember via the internet
at www.leginfo.ca.gov or by calling Kathie at
(916)
442-3155 x 204.
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Sample letter (Click here if you want to down load this
sample letter in Word 97 Format. If you can't use MS Word 97 or Word 2000, you can save
this page as a text file and then open it in a word processor to remove extra letters and
words used for web page):
Assemblymember ______________________
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Assemblymember:
I urge you to support the passage of SB 1540, which recently passed through the Senate and
is now in the Assembly. I also support the addition of an appropriation to this bill so
that it may be implemented immediately. Dams which no longer provide benefits, are not
functioning properly, have been abandoned, or produce less benefits than the cost needed
to maintain them should be modified, breached, or removed. As a voter and taxpayer
in your district, I value the environmental benefits of free flowing and healthy rivers.
SB 1540 would require the state to: ?
Conduct a statewide inventory to identify abandoned, obsolete, or poorly functioning dams
to determine the environmental and economic benefits that may be gained if these
structures were to be removed or modified. Conduct studies on the cost of modifying or
removing dams. SB 1540 exempts State Water Project dams, Central Valley Project
facilities, Corps of Engineers flood control projects, and other structures that provide
essential benefits.
SB 1540 will help restore threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead, provide public
safety and recreational benefits, and enhance river ecosystems. Dams have blocked more
than 90 percent of the salmon and steelhead habitat in the Central Valley. Approximately
64 percent of the fresh water fish species in California are extinct, threatened,
endangered, or in decline. Dams have had a profound effect on our rivers and
fisheries. Some dams threaten the safety of boaters, swimmers, and other people recreating
on rivers.
SB 1540 is supported by numerous national, statewide, and local conservation, recreation,
and fishery interests including Friends of the River, Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's Associations, California Trout, California Outdoors, Friends of the Santa
Clara River, Heal the Bay, National Audubon Society, and many more.
California needs comprehensive statewide data on dams that could be removed to restore
fisheries, habitat, and river ecosystems. In many cases, the cost of repairing or
maintaining dams that have been abandoned or neglected is more than the cost of removing
them.
I hope you will support SB 1540. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Name, address, organization
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Water Over the Dam