Assemblyman Monning tackles local environmental concerns

In a show of community commitment on a sunny Saturday afternoon, residents convened at a town hall meeting to create a link between local issues and state government representation with Assemblyman Bill Monning.
The Valley Women’s Club hosted the event at the Felton Community Hall on Saturday, Aug. 22, where there were about 35 people in attendance.
Monning, who represents San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz, spoke about important bills affecting the local environment going through the Legislature and listened to residents’ concerns.
Issues touched on included a pending bill regarding open-space districts, local watershed impacts, expanding the recycling responsibilities of product manufacturers, impacts of state budget reductions and the threat of state park closures.
“One of our missions is how we partner with community resources, commitment and participatory democracy to push that our concern of protecting a healthy environment and community and linking that to public health continue to be a priority — both at the state and federal levels,” Monning said.
Monning also spoke about human services like domestic violence shelters and HIV/AIDS education and outreach that were lost because of the state budget crisis.
“As we focus today on environmental issues, it’s important to understand that as we look at the environment and how that sustains public health and public education. Our environmental priorities were also not spared in this Draconian budget resolution,” Monning said.
State park closures and water conservation efforts were top concerns listed at the meeting.
A stimulus package that could be aimed toward funding watershed conservation efforts, similar to the $425,000 granted for the Pajaro River project passed by the Senate earlier this month, was brought up.
Concerns about funding for regulatory agencies, pollution in the watershed and the reduction of carbon emissions were also touched on.
When the discussion moved to state park closures, loud murmurs erupted from the attendees.
Monning said the state should look at how much volunteer work at state parks has been making up for the budget deficit. He said community involvement is vital and that the local economy and local ecology are inextricably linked.
“What we need to do is not accept that this is the way it is because we can’t get the two-thirds vote,” Monning said. “Parks are vital to our economic health. As you that have small businesses know, the state parks are a precious resource. They generate revenue to local businesses — to restaurants, hotels, to gas stations. You close these and you’re cutting off the economic vitality to the community.”
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