June 22, 2000
Honorable Gray Davis Governor, State of California State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: California Department of Fish and Game - Staff funding proposals
Dear Governor Davis:
Currently the California Department of Fish and Game has proposals for staffing increases in the new budget. This letter is in support of budgetary expenditures to support desperately needed staffing increases for the Department of Fish and Game (DFG).
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is charged with many of the most important conservation duties in our State, including protection of rare species and ecosystems, scientific research, and implementation of critical laws such as the California Endangered Species Act and the Natural Communities Conservation Planning Act. But California Governors and Legislatures have starved the DFG of funding and staff, so that it is not able to fulfill its mission or meet its legal responsibilities.
Last year, the State Legislature requested reports detailing DFG's budgetary and staffing needs. The reports showed alarming shortfalls in the agency's ability to meet its mandates:
* Less than 2% of rare species are monitored "at some level" for condition and trend each year
* Only 10% of the 13,000 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analyses submitted each year (e.g. for housing developments) receive complete analysis
* Only 14% of timber harvest plans are comprehensively reviewed by the DFG
* Plants are disproportionately affected because so few botanists are on DFG staff. In 1999, DFG employed only 12 botanists as compared to approximately 380 wildlife biologists.
For timber harvest alone, the DFG report acknowledges, "As a result of this [inadequate review] over the past 15 years, significant declines in species, water quality and overall health of the watersheds has occurred."
Based on this information, the State Legislature has proposed more than $52 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING and over 270 NEW STAFF for DFG!
Highlights of the Legislature's budget proposal include:
* 60 new law enforcement officers to help prevent poaching, illegal killing of listed species, illegal dumping of toxics, etc.
* 76 new biologists for habitat and species monitoring
* 48 new staff to augment review of CEQA documents and Timber Harvest Plans
We strongly urge you to provide funding for the DFG staffing increases. Resource protection is a high priority for Californians! California enjoys a $13 billion budget surplus. Funding the Legislature's proposal would consume only 0.4% of that surplus. We support the Legislature's action on DFG staffing and expect it to be funded in full.
Attached is additional supporting information. As you can see these budget increases supported by the environmental community.
Sincerely,
Alan Levine Coast Action Group P.O. Box 215 Point Arena, CA 95468
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