CSPA Advisory

CSPA Action Alert 8.8.08 

AB 1806 clears Senate Appropriations Committee unscathed, heading to senate floor for a vote next week. We NEED your letters!

AB 1806, the delta restoration and mitigation bill, was passed out of committee on Thursday, August 7^th. It will now go to the senate floor for an up or down vote. If it passes, it goes to the governor’s desk for signature. This bill means millions of dollars for delta fisheries restoration and is a key element in the delta’s recovery. The major beneficiaries of this bill will be our critically impacted Chinook salmon stocks, wild and hatchery steelhead, striped bass, the Delta Smelt and the Longfin Smelt.

The bill requires the water districts benefiting from the pumping process to pay the costs of mitigation. The taxpayers of California will not bear the burden of the restoration costs.

However, the water districts that will be affected by this bill’s passage are pouring many, many thousands of dollars in lobbying for the bill’s defeat. They are trying to avoid the responsibility of the damage done to our fisheries through the pumping process, a process they benefit greatly from in the form of taxpayer subsidized water.

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Allied Fishing Groups, the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers  the California Striped Bass Association, and the other state and regional fishing organizations and clubs neither have the funds or the personnel to match the efforts of these water districts, made rich through the use of subsidized water at the expense of our fisheries.

The only lobbyists the fish have are you, the fish NEED your help. Don't let apathy KILL this bill!

It is imperative that EVERYONE concerned with the health of the delta write three letters, one to their district senator, one to the Senate Majority Leader, Gloria Romero, and one to the Senate Minority Leader, Dave Cogdill.

Sample letters, senator's addresses, fax numbers, e-mail addresses and on-line contact form links are below for the entire senate.

Club/organization presidents and editors, please forward this Alert to your members via your e-mail network and post on your website. Time is of the essence. The bill could be voted on as early as Tuesday!

Again: 
One letter to your district senator
Second letter to the Senate Majority Leader
Third letter to the Senate Minority Leader

Since your response is time critical, in addition to paper letters, (always the most impact!) we suggest faxing when possible and e-mail or form fill follow-ups. The below senators' links provide fax numbers, e-mail addresses when available and on-line form fill pages. The most important thing is that you take action! Write, cut and paste or e-mail!

You may write your own letter or use all or parts of the sample letters below. The most important thing is that you take the time to write! Cut and paste freely!

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Sample Letter One, suggested for a Democratic Senator

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In support of AB 1806 (Wolk) - Fish Rescue Plans & Mitigation

Dear Senator ______________,

In support of AB 1806,

In the coming week you will have the opportunity to vote in favor of AB 1806. As you know AB 1806 is a delta restoration bill with mitigation for fish destroyed in the pumping process as a key element.

The fisheries of the California delta are in critical need of your support. The Chinook salmon stocks, so important to thousands of both commercial and recreational anglers are now at their lowest point in the state's history. Steelhead stocks are heavily impacted as well. The striped bass fishery, once the envy of the nation, is now estimated to be less than 350,000 adults, down from the 6 to 9 million fish that were in the delta before the pumping process began. The Delta Smelt is on the endangered list and the Longfin Smelt is not far behind.

In addition to the economic benefits these fisheries provide, their existence is a matter of quality of life for millions of Californians and, if nothing is done, a march towards extinction for the fisheries themselves.

As a California angler, voter, and taxpayer I urge you to vote in favor of this important bill. Not because your party may encourage an "aye" vote, but because it's the right thing to do for California, Californians, and California fisheries.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
YOUR PHONE NUMBER

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Sample Letter Two, suggested for a Republican Senator

In support of AB 1806 (Wolk) - Fish Rescue Plans & Mitigation

Dear Senator ______________,

In support of AB 1806,

In the coming week you will have the opportunity to vote in favor of AB 1806. As you know AB 1806 is a delta restoration bill with mitigation for fish destroyed in the pumping process as a key element.

The fisheries of the California delta are in critical need of your support. The Chinook salmon stocks, so important to thousands of both commercial and recreational anglers are now at their lowest point in the state's history. Steelhead stocks are heavily impacted as well. The striped bass fishery, once the envy of the nation, is now estimated to be less than 350,000 adults, down from the 6 to 9 million fish that were in the delta before the pumping process began. The Delta Smelt is on the endangered list and the Longfin Smelt is not far behind.

In addition to the economic benefits these fisheries provide, their existence is a matter of quality of life for millions of Californians and, if nothing is done, a march towards extinction for the fisheries themselves.

As a California angler, voter, and taxpayer I urge you to do the right thing and vote in favor of this important bill. Please don't take the easy way out by voting the party line.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
YOUR PHONE NUMBER

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A letter for organizations and clubs

Re: In support of AB 1806 (Wolk) - Fish Rescue Plans & Mitigation

Dear Senator ______________,

As (fill in your title or position) of (fill in your club or organization’s name) with a membership of (number of members) members , I am writing in support of AB 1806.

AB 1806 is critical legislation essential to beginning the process of restoring the fishery resources of the Delta and its tributaries. It requires the state and federal water projects fully mitigate for all of the fishery impacts caused by the operation of these projects. This is essential if we are to stop the horrendous decline of the fishery resources dependent on the Delta and its tributaries.

The facts are straightforward, neither of the projects completely mitigates for the direct and indirect losses of the fish killed by their delta export operations in contrast to their legal obligations. 

AB 1806 is part of the critical efforts necessary to stop the declines of our fisheries from the annual direct and indirect fisheries losses caused by the project's operations. Many millions of fish are lost each year that are not mitigated and appropriate mitigation is the only solution.

While this is not the only reason for the decline of the fisheries dependent on the Delta, until mitigation for these impacts are accomplished, we will continue to see the estuary's fisheries fail to recover. The decline in our fisheries over the past forty years is estimated by a DFG report to cost $8 billion in income not generated by the State's economy.

In addition, we now face a crisis with our fall-run salmon fishery. This year's salmon closure is estimated to cost some $250 million and the closure is likely to be extended next year. These are very grim economic facts and unless we make a mid-course correction now, this situation will only become worse and fishery closures more extensive.

We urge your "aye vote" on this measure, when the bill comes to the senate floor next week.  Your yes vote is  imperative to help resolve one of the most critical problems faced by these valuable public fishery resources.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME, TITLE
ORGANIZATION or CLUB
ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER

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Below is the complete list of the members of the California State Senate.

If you don't know your senator, you may identify him or her by going to  http://192.234.213.69/amapsearch/framepage.asp and entering your address in the provided form.

Some of the senators  have only a form page on their websites for constituent response. Others provide both an e-mail address and a contact form page. Still others provide only an e-mail address. If your e-mail gets bounced try the contact form page. 

If you live out of the senator's district, make sure you use the suggested zip code rather than your own. Most of the senator's form fill pages key in on the zips and bounce those not within their districts.