Darrell Ticehurst/Fisheries Issues

MLPA Faces Uncertain Future
Mar. 30 2009, 10:37 AM

Senator Dean Florez, California’s Senate Majority Leader, showed us his stuff at a keynote speech Saturday night to Coastside Fishing Club. His Oversight Committee is to hold hearings next month on a couple of key issues, and there are going to be some mighty uncomfortable facts coming out. First on Sen. Florez’s agenda for the hearing is the crazy out-of-control budget that is being created through the MLPA process. When this bill was being acted upon by the legislature, the forecasted increase in the budget for this to cover the scientific studies and enforcement was only an incremental $250,000, chump change for the F&G budget. Now the CDF&G is saying that the budget for the MLPA for enforcement and scientific study will be well over $30 million. In this day and age of the belt-tightening California budget hearings, that number attracts a lot of notice, especially because it is a big surprise. No wonder Sen. Florez wants Secretary Chrisman to explain what is going on, especially since no one knows where the $30 million is going to come from. An MLPA that closes down significant portions of the coast and is putting many people out of work ought to at least have the funds to see if it is even a good idea!

In a related matter on the MLPA, F&G Commissioner Sutton is being called on the carpet because he has an obvious conflict of interest, taking money from the supporters of the RLFF. Here is the quote from the San Diego Union Tribune: “Sutton's connection to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation was cited. Sutton, who is a corporate officer with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which received more than $123 million over three years from the Packard Foundation, said he and the state Attorney General's Office see no conflict of interest. The foundation, through the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation, also has supported the MLPA Initiative with more than $18 million as part of its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the state. Before working for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Sutton headed the Marine Fisheries Conservation Program for the Packard Foundation for five years.” Sure Mr. Sutton, deny this doesn’t influence your vote on the Packard-supported MLPA. I think the public knows better, and I think Senator Florez is going to make it clear just how compromised you are.

In another of those many MLPA hearings, Ken Wiseman, the Executive Director of the entire process, was testifying and said something to the effect that the $30 million number for science and enforcement was being put out by opponents of the process and wasn’t a real number. Fortunately the very talented lobbyist for the PSO, George Osborn, caught it and went up to testify during public comment. Mr. Osborne made it very plain that Wiseman was playing games (that is, was lying to the committee) and that it was not opponents of the MLPA at all that came up with those numbers, it was his own Department of Fish and Game that provided those estimates, as Mr. Wiseman well knew. Wiseman’s comments are another of the many, many examples of the paid-for agenda that is biasing this process. Secretary Chrisman talks about a public/private partnership, and brags about how well it works, but it is plain that the process is decidedly biased toward a foreordained outcome and all one has to do is read the MOU between the state and the RLFF to understand this, and to understand the pressure that leads to people within the process deliberately misleading the legislature.

I am glad that Senator Florez is hot on the trail of these issues. He is one of the good guys, and he can smell corruption when it appears, even under the guise of just wanting to help the state.

Mike Giraudo
March 31, 2009, 8:13 pm

I wish everyone could see tis an know what is really going on. Great job, Darrell...and we can only hope that Senator Florez helps make a difference

Jim Volberding
March 31, 2009, 11:16 am

The MLPA process is finally being investigated and I believe that it is about time. It has been a run away train and accountability hasn't occurred. The fishing community was muted and the private/public funding is unbelievable in the way it has been used.
Use the private funding to set up MPA's then leave the huge gap for monitoring, outreach and enforcement which the state doesn't have. The public does need to know and I agree with Mark that more media attention is needed statewide on a process gone wild. Senator Florez needs to take those responsible to the carpet and do what is necessary to stop the corruption of the process.

Captain Mark Capra
March 30, 2009, 4:02 pm

Another great "blog" or whatever you call it Darrell...hopefully some other newspapers and media sources will follow the lead of the San Diego paper that published Senator Florez's COASTSIDE remarks in its Sunday edition...funny thing is that you guys were trying to bring the inequity of private parties funding the MLPA to the public's attention a couple of years ago and nobody (including the Courts ) would listen...hopefully this time they will...thanks for keeping it out there...

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Darrell Ticehurst/Fisheries Issues

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