Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
Several weeks ago, BRC asked you to take a few minutes to ask lawmakers in Sacramento to leave the California OHV Program and its Trust Funds alone. THANKS to the many letters that were sent in - they listened. However, a new threat has arisen.
The latest twist in the "Let's take money from the OHV Program" saga is that the folks under the dome in Sacramento are considering gutting the basic operating budget of OHMVR that funds state OHV parks and provides grants to other land agencies.
See article/blog from Capitol Notes:
http://blogs. kqed.org: 80/capitalnotes/ 2009/06/29/ guvs-plan- b-deficit- fix/
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.
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/email to the following legislators including the chairperson of each committee.
SEND BOTH A FAX AND EMAIL
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - Fax 916-558-3160 (phone 916-445-2841)
governor@governor. ca.gov
2009 Budget Conference Committee Members
Assembly
Noreen Evans - Fax 916-319-2107 (phone 916-319-2007) (Chair)
Assemblymember. evans@assembly. ca.gov
Roger Niello - Fax 916-319-2105 (phone 916-319-2005)
Assemblymember. niello@assembly. ca.gov
Bob Blumenfield - fax 916-319-2140 (phone 916-319-2040)
Assemblymember. blumenfield@ assembly. ca.gov
Kevin de Leon - Fax 916-319-2145 (phone 916-319-2045)
Assemblymember. deleon@assembly. ca.gov
Jim Nielsen - Fax916- 319-2102 (phone 916-319-2002)
Assemblymember. nielsen@assembly .ca.gov
Senate
Denise Ducheny - Fax 916-327-3522 (phone 916-651-4040) (Chair)
senator.ducheny@ senate.ca. gov
Bob Dutton - Fax 916-327-2272 (phone 916-651-4031)
Senator.dutton@ senate.ca. gov
Mark Leno - Fax 916-445-4722 (phone 916-651-4003)
Senator.Leno@ senate.ca. gov
Alan Lowenthal - Fax 916-327-9113 (phone 916-651-4027)
Senator.lowenthal@ senate.ca. gov
Mimi Walters - Fax 916-445-9754 (phone 916-651-4033)
Senator.walters@ senate.ca. gov




Cut and Paste Sample Letter: To match the canned response your going to get

Dear ,
As a resident of California and a member of the off-highway vehicle (OHV) community, I am urging that as you search for funding for California Sate Parks, you do not attempt to redirect any funds from the Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division budget. The OHV Division of California State Parks is completely funded by fees generated by OHV recreation. These user-generated fees should not be directed to uses that have nothing whatsoever to do with how the funds were generated.
In 2005, the California Bureau of State Audits found that Parks misappropriated millions of dollars from the OHV Trust Fund for use at facilities with no OHV opportunity. Sadly, it appears that Parks is once again attempting to balance its books on the back of the OHV program.
The OHV Division is a nationally-recogniz ed model of a "user-pay/user- benefit" program. This success is due to the State's ability to collect fees generated by OHV recreation on local, state and federal lands, and use these fees to support management of OHV recreation on these same lands. It is essential that both the operations of the State OHV Parks and the grants provided to local and federal agencies where OHV recreation occurs continue in order to maintain the success of this 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 you to avoid redirecting any OHV Trust Funds to non-OHV-related projects or programs.

Sincerely,
Name
Address


Thanks for your attention to this very serious matter.
Don Amador
Western Representative
BlueRibbon Coalition