Attention California Recreationists! The California Legislature Is Robbing Us Again!

As many of you already know, the State of California is in fiscal meltdown. One victim of the current budgetary crisis is the CA OHV program. It is one of the very few self-funded ‘user-pay/user-benefit’ government programs in the state. The California legislature has already ‘borrowed’ and diverted $90 million dollars from the OHV Trust Fund to other non-OHV-related programs.

Now the folks under the dome in Sacramento are considering any number of untenable options, including the borrowing of any remaining funds, gutting the program and moving into ‘regular’ state parks, or cutting the basic operating budget of Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) that funds state OHV parks and provides grants to other land agencies.

If there is one time you send a letter to Sacramento… it is TODAY. Send your letter and get as many of your friends to do the same. BRC has provided a sample letter that you can cut and paste and FAX to the following legislators, including the chairperson of each committee. You may also look up your own state representative using BRC’s Rapid Response Center. Just type in your zip code at https://www.sharetrails.org/rapid_response and click GO.

2009 Budget Conference Committee Members

Assembly

Noreen Evans – Fax 916-319-2107 (phone 916-319-2007) (Chair)
Roger Niello – Fax 916-319-2105 (phone 916-319-2005)
Bob Blumenfield – fax 916-319-2140 (phone 916-319-2040)
Kevin de Leon – Fax 916-319-2145 (phone 916-319-2045)
Jim Nielsen – Fax916- 319-2102 (phone 916-319-2002)

Senate

Denise Ducheny – Fax 916-327-3522 (phone 916-651-4040) (Chair)
Bob Dutton – Fax 916-327-2272 (phone 916-651-4031)
Mark Leno – Fax 916-445-4722 (phone 916-651-4003)
Alan Lowenthal – Fax 916-327-9113 (phone 916-651-4027)
Mimi Walters – Fax 916-445-9754 (phone 916-651-4033)

Cut and Paste Sample Letter:

Dear (insert name of Legislator):

As a resident of California and a member of the off-highway vehicle (OHV) community, I am asking that you oppose any effort by the legislature to divert OHV trust fund monies to manage state parks that do not allow OHV recreation.

The California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division of California State Parks is nationally recognized as a model ‘user-pay/user-benefit’ department that effectively blends the following core tenets of OHV recreation: 1) trail/facility maintenance; 2) restoration of legally-closed lands; 3) law enforcement of OHV regulations; and 4) safety/education outreach into an ecologically-balanced OHV program.

I understand the serious nature of California’s budget crisis. However, the state has already borrowed $90 million dollars from the OHV Trust Fund. I again urge your office to oppose any effort by the legislature to divert additional OHV Trust Fund dollars to non-OHV-related projects or programs.

Sincerely,

Your Name and Address