[env-trinity] Weseloh Letter to Editor - Times Standard

[Daniel Bacher]

Here's the latest update on what's happening with the American River 
Parkway.


Last Minute Rally of River Activists Prevents Raid On Parkway Funds

by Dan Bacher

In a last minute rally of local river activists, 35 supporters of the 
American River Parkway attended the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors 
meeting on May 13 to stave off an attempt by the County Sheriff to divert $3 
million proposed for the parkway.

The County had proposed to cut the parkway budget $633,000, a vast 
improvement over an earlier proposed cut of $4.4 million from a budget of 
about $5 million, during a "Quality of Life" hearing on May 6. The County 
found the $3,000,000 for the parkway through a windfall land sale.

However, river advocates received a tip from County insiders on May 12 that  
Lou Blanas, Sacramento County Sheriff, was planning to raid this fund to 
solve a shortfall in his department. The presence of Parkway supporters at 
the latest hearing apparently convinced the Board to hold firm on their 
tentative agreement to give the $3 million to the parkway.

"We feel good that the cuts are not as bad as they could be," said Alan 
Wade, president of the Save the American River Association (SARA), who spoke 
on behalf of the organization on May 13. "I look at the parkway budget glass 
now as 3/4 full rather than 3/4 empty."

Unfortunately, parkway funding for the upcoming fiscal year -  July 1, 2004  
through June 30, 2005 - is still not definitely secured because of projected 
cuts in state budget reimbursements to the County that loom over the County 
budget. "We could be back to square one because I don’t think the Governor 
understands the dire straits that the local governments are in," said Wade.

The Sacramento Bee on May 14 quoted Roger Niello, County Supervisor as 
saying, "When the other shoe drops (the state budget), we’re going to have 
to find additional money or make additional cuts, so we’ll be back here 
looking for creative solutions."

In the latest meeting, the Board approved a spending plan for the coming 
year with $17.9 million cuts for nearly every department. In early July, the 
Board of Supervisors is expected to make their final budget decisions after 
they are provided with information regarding the status of state budget 
reimbursements for county programs.

The failure of the Sheriff to raid the parkway fund is a great tribute to 
the hundreds of parkway activists who wrote letters, attended board meetings 
and called their Board members to urge them not to close the American River 
Parkway, the "crown jewel" of Sacramento County.

The parkway generates an estimated $259,034,030 in the local economy each 
year, according to the American River Parkway Financial Needs Study (August 
10, 2000.)  This includes direct spending by parkway visitors, the County of 
Sacramento and other operators involved in providing parkway services. The 
American River is one of the most heavily fished rivers in the state because 
of its large king salmon, steelhead, striped bass and shad runs.

"Our presence was noted and we managed to deter anyone from even suggesting 
that the 3 million dollars promised the week before should be shifted to 
someplace else," said Betsy Weiland, SARA activist. "Never doubt that it is 
our continued dedication to attending these hearings that is keeping the 
Parkway front and center in this budget crisis. We have lived to fight 
another day."

However, she emphasized, "Once the other shoe falls i.e. the state budget 
impacts, we will once again alert everyone if more action is needed to 
protect the Parkway funding."

Meanwhile, parkway advocates will be stepping up their efforts to search for 
alternative funding sources.

For more information and the latest action alerts, contact the Save the 
American River Association: www.sarariverwatch.org; email - 
riverwatch at comcast.net or sara5204 at pacbell.net; or phone (916) 383-1298. You 
can also contact the American River Parkway Foundation, P.O. Box 188437. 
Sacramento, CA 95818, (916) 456-7423, Fax (916) 455-4632, www.arpf.org.