Protest Pombo

Let's protest this misguided congressman's presense here. The Marin Rebublican
Party is holding a dinner April 1 at the Alta Mira Hotel in Sausalito. The
speaker is Rep. Richard Pombo. Pombo is a toxic blight on the health of the
environment, the state and the Federal government. If Pombo's bill passes the
Senate, developers like Joe Shekou would have to be reimbursed for their
developments that threaten endangered species.
Exerpt from the Sierra Club Yodeler:

Tell Pombo: America's parks not for sale

Most Americans believe that our national parks and coastlines are an important
part of our national heritage, and they want these outdoor treasures to be
protected for future generations. It doesn't matter how much money you make,
where you live, or even what size shoe you wear. Every American owns a stake
in America's great outdoors - and so it should be a given that, because these
spaces belong to everyone, they should be managed in the public trust rather
than exploited for private gain.

When Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Tracy - a substantial portion of his district is
within our own Bay Chapter) proposed last September to auction off 15 national
parks to raise revenues for the federal treasury, the reaction across the
country was one of total astonishment. While the move may have been
uncharacteristic for a Bay Area member of Congress, it was just one of the
many moves that Pombo made last year to sell publicly owned natural treasures
for private development.

After proposing the sale of the national parks to private developers, he also
snuck a provision into the budget to auction off publicly owned mountains,
rivers, and forests-including many lands surrounding national parks - to
mining companies and real-estate speculators. In addition, he authored
controversial policies to open our coastal areas, including the California
coasts, to offshore oil drilling, over the objection of state lawmakers. He
also tried to help oil companies by inserting budget language that would have
opened sacred places such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling,
even though the same companies were caught lying to Congress and widely
criticized for gouging consumers at the pump.

And who could forget Pombo's rewrite of the Endangered Species Act, which
barely passed the House last year and is now before the Senate? Pombo, who
claimed he was doing wildlife a favor, proposes eliminating any requirement to
protect endangered wildlife. Instead we would pay oil, mining, timber, and
real-estate companies if we want them to do no harm.

A brand new year means that Pombo has a whole new opportunity to use his
committee chair to sell off America's outdoor legacy to private developers. We
need to make sure that Pombo does not get away with more backdoor budget
tactics to benefit special interests. We need instead to safeguard our parks,
coast, and other special places for all Americans.

WhatYouCanDo - This month's key action

First, please contact Rep. Pombo and ask him to support a budget process that
ensures that our federal agencies have the tools they need to safeguard our
natural legacy. Then join our campaign to educate residents of Pombo's
district about current legislation in Congress and ask them to contact him on
these legislative issues. It is an exceptional chance for our local efforts to
make a national difference. Please volunteer to help. There are many
opportunities. Pick one; pick several. Our individual efforts can add together
to make a real difference for our wild lands and creatures.

We will have opportunities to do phoning from locations in the
Danville/Pleasanton area, from Berkeley, and from San Francisco.

We will be staffing tables at farmers' markets in Pombo's district, and
knocking at doors and talking with residents there, as well.

To join in, please contact Christina Armor at the Bay Chapter Office, (510)
848-0800, ext. 306, or email christina -at- sfbaysc.org.