As many of you are aware, we are in a very difficult State Budget year with a significant budget deficit. Unfortunately, investments for natural resources and climate resilience are at stake.
This is an urgent plea for immediate action to save the Habitat Conservation Fund and funding for natural resources and climate resilience programs. The Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) is the only ongoing source of funds for habitat conservation projects – a fund that has been pivotal for the conservation of more than 1 million acres of land in California since it was enacted in Proposition 117 in 1990. This fund is a critical part of the larger 30×30 effort. In addition, the Governor and legislature is proposing to cut more than $1.3 billion from natural resource and climate resilience funding.
Please ACT NOW – See below for details.
What is Happening?
This week in Sacramento, the Governor and legislature are negotiating the final budget and a budget cut of more than $1.3 billion is directed to natural resource and climate resilience programs. There is also on the table a plan to sweep $45 million already allocated to the Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF), and language that would eliminate the existing requirement to appropriate $30 million per year to the HCF through 2030. That means that more than $100 million of funding critical for meeting the state’s 30×30, nature-based solutions to climate change, and wildlife connectivity goals are at stake. The HCF was created in 1990 and to date, the HCF has provided funds to protect nearly one million acres of habitat all across California. And nearly 40 years later, the HCF remains the only ongoing, reliable, and flexible source of funds for protecting, enhancing, and restoring wildlife habitat and fisheries that are vital to maintaining California’s quality of life.
Even though California’s state budget deficit is significant, this action directed to natural resource and climate resilience programs is short-sighted – specially in the face of extreme climate events such as wildfire, year-long droughts, heat waves, and sea level rise.
What Can You Do?
Dozens of conservation organizations are pushing back, but we need every Californian that cares to join in.
- Use your social media. Please do not be discouraged in creating a post and tagging California’s leadership – they check their social media!
- Sample social posts: Link to download assets and sample posts for budget advocacy.
- Important Legislators to tag in any social media posts:
- Governor Gavin Newsom (X: @GavinNewsom | IG: @cagovernor)
- Sen. Mike McGuire (X: @ilike_mike | FB: SenatorMikeMcGuire)
- Asm. Robert Rivas (X: @CASpeakerRivas | IG: @caspeakerrivas | FB: @CASpeakerRivas)
- Asm. Jesse Gabriel (X: @AsmJesseGabriel | IG: @asmjessegabriel | FB: @AsmJesseGabriel)
- Sen. Scott Wiener (X: @scott_wiener | IG: @scott_wiener | FB: @ScottWiener2)
- Sample hashtags: #ProtectTheHCF #30x30CA #ClimateBondNow #ProtectCalifornia #PowerInNature
- Engage your supporters and the public. If you have the capacity to get calls-to-action out to your supporters via email, phone calls, and social media early this week, please make it happen! You can forward this email or use it as a template.
- Engage directly on behalf of your organization. We don’t think the key folks involved with these decisions in the legislature or Administration have heard from many people, and we’re at a point where they need to. It’s critical that you reach out today or early this week to any of the offices listed below that you have relationships with. Note: We don’t think it’s helpful at this stage to contact these folks if you don’t have an established relationship with the member or someone on their staff. But think hard, you may know folks in your area (or on your boards) who have relationships with them and might be willing to contact them about this.
- Use the following three key messages:
- I strongly oppose defunding $45 million already allocated to the Habitat Conservation Fund. The HCF remains the only ongoing, reliable, and flexible source of funds for protecting, enhancing, and restoring wildlife habitat and fisheries that are vital to maintaining California’s quality of life.
- I strongly oppose the more than half a billion dollars in cuts to the Wildlife Conservation Board. Instead, I support the Administration’s proposal to use Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund money for the WCB. There are hundreds of millions of dollars of projects waiting at the WCB to be funded that will leverage equal amounts of local, private, and federal funding.
- The Legislature needs to pass a climate bond now. We are facing growing climate threats and the need is great. This current budget year is hard, next year will be harder, and the following year looks even worse. We need a stable and ongoing funding source to meet our 30×30 and climate goals. A climate bond is our only hope to meet those goals.
- Who from the leadership to contact?
- Leadership – Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Speaker Robert Rivas
- Budget Chairs – Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel
- Administration – Governor’s Office, Dept of Finance, CNRA leadership, CDFW leadership, and Wildlife Conservation Board members
- How to contact?
- Use the following three key messages:
Feel free to pass this information along to others. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our staff Lis Olaerts at Liesbet@sierranevadaalliance.org