LegAlert #97-7

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Coastal Senate Bills Due to Hit the Floor
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The flotilla of 34 coastal and ocean bills that was introduced this
year has made great progress so far through the legislature. Six
bills remain to be passed by the Senate floor, however, and your
phone calls are needed in order to ensure their success. The
following bills will be voted on by the Senate *before June 6*.
Please call your Senators and urge them to support the following
bills that help to protect our coastal resources.

SB 499 (Alpert) - Requires the State Water Resources Control
Board and the Coastal Commission to work cooperatively to
develop and implement a federally approvable coastal nonpoint
pollution control program and an education and outreach program.

SB 62 (McPherson) - Makes an appropriation to continue the
coastal monitoring program called the California State Mussel
Watch Program.

SB 72 (McPherson) - Requires all coastal development permit fees
collected by the Coastal Commission to be deposited in the State
Coastal Conservancy's Coastal Access Account. The money shall
be used for grants to public agencies and private nonprofit entities
for development, maintenance, and operation of facilities that
provide public access to the shoreline.

SB 364 (Sher) - Authorizes the taking of market squid north of
Point Conception only between noon on Sunday and noon on
Friday and would allow the Fish and Game Commission to reduce
the days of the week in all waters to protect the squid resource.

SB 614 (Thompson) - Makes an appropriation for the recovery of
salmon and trout.

SB 673 (Karnette) - Requires the Coastal Commission to establish
a contaminated sediments program and to prepare a long-term
management plan for the dredging and disposal of contaminated
sediments in Los Angeles County coastal waters.

Not only do we have to pass these bills, but we also have to make
sure they get funded. By June 15, a conference committee must
resolve the differences between the Assembly and Senate versions
of the state budget. The first meeting of the conference committee
is scheduled for Thursday, June 5.

The Assembly budget contains more funding for coastal bills than
the Senate budget. The Assembly version includes a higher level of
funding than that contained in the Governor's Coastal Initiative for
coastal water quality and access issues, while the Senate budget
provides no more funding than the Governor has proposed.

The committee makeup has not yet been finalized, but it is fairly
certain that Assemblymember Denise Ducheny (916/445-7556) and
Senator Mike Thompson (916/445-5202) will be on the
committee. Please write or call these two legislators before June 5
and urge them to adopt the Assembly budget's Coastal Initiative
and Watershed Initiative funding proposals to protect California's
coast and waters.

Correction In LegAlert #97-7, we urged the support of the Assembly budget's
Coastal Initiative and Watershed Initiative funding proposals. We
want to continue our support of the Coastal Initiative funding to
protect coastal waters and habitats. However, WE DO NOT
WANT TO FUND THE GOVERNOR'S WATERSHED
INITIATIVE. This initiative is the Governor's attempt to appear
that he is doing something about fisheries recovery, when in fact the
initiative does not even scratch the surface of what needs to be
done, especially in light of the recent coho listing.

Finally, June 3 is "Members Day," when individual members may
make requests of the budget conference committee and express
their support for specific funding proposals. Please call your
Assemblymembers and Senators and ask them to support the
Assembly budget proposals for the Coastal and Watershed
Initiatives.

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