Despite an all out effort by Bay Trail supporters,
the State Lands Commission voted unanimously
on Jan. 29 to certify the final EIR and to
award Chevron a 30-year lease of State submerged
lands for continued operation of Long Wharf
without requiring Chevron to help pay for closing
the nearby dangerous
Bay Trail gap.
Lt.
Governor Garamendi chaired the meeting in
Santa Barbara with
alternates representing Controller Chiang and
Finance Director Genest. Genest's alternate
Tom Sheehy made it clear that his priority
was receiving Chevron's check for $5.8 million
for back rent due plus the annual rent payment
of $870,000. The Lt. Governor's questions
indicated that he thought the City of Richmond
and East Bay Regional Park District should
fund the entire $13 million cost themselves. Chevron's
lobbyists had been very effective in teaching
Commissioners the ABC's, i.e. Anywhere But
Chevron as a source of funds for closing
the trail gap. The Commission's priority
was getting Chevron's money now for the state's
general fund.
Profound thanks
to everyone who helped with advocacy for
the Bay Trail. Commissioners
and their staffs received more than 400 letters,
emails and phone calls in support of requiring
Chevron to help pay for this Bay Trail segment. The
Richmond City Council voted unanimously to
join with East Bay Regional Park District in
contributing a total of $3 million toward building
the trail if Chevron and Caltrans each paid
$5 million as suggested by the Lt. Governor
during the Dec. 3 meeting of the Commission. Senator Loni
Hancock and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner both
worked very hard on this, and Marin County Senator
Mark Leno & Jared Huffman also weighed
in, as did County Supervisor John Gioia and
City Councillor Jeff Ritterman.
The six stalwarts
who went to Santa Barbara to speak to the Commission
deserve special thanks: City Manager Bill Lindsay,
Executive DIrector of East Bay Bicycle Coalition
Robert Raburn, Richmond resident bicyclists
Bill Pinkham and Tony Sustak, Sandra Threlfall
of the Public Trust Alliance and Bruce Beyaert
representing TRAC. City
Councillor Jim Rogers drove most of the way only
to learn that the Commission had acted before
he arrived. You will find an excerpt from
Robert Raburn's preliminary observations below.
On March 5, 2009, TRAC, Citizens for
East Shore Parks and Daniel Doellstedt filed
a legal petition challenging this decision
of the SLC to award Chevron a new 30-year
lease for operation of Long Wharf without
a requirement to close
this dangerous
gap in the Bay
Trail - (Case RG09439704).
Please stay tuned
for new developments as the options are reviewed.
We
would appreciate your continuing support.
For more background, see http://www.pointrichmond.com/baytrail/pointsanpablo.htm .
