BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Fran Pavley, Chair |
| 2011-2012 Regular Session |
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BILL NO: ACR 55 HEARING DATE: June 28, 2011
AUTHOR: Skinner URGENCY: No
VERSION: As Introduced CONSULTANT: Katharine Moore
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: Eastshore State Park: renaming.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
Eastshore State Park is an 8.5 mile ribbon of parkland that
occupies the shoreline in the cities of Oakland, Emeryville,
Berkeley, Albany and Richmond. It covers 1,854 acres of
tidelands and uplands alongside San Francisco Bay. This state
park was created through the allocation of $25 million in state
funds as well a funding from the Eastbay Regional Park
District's Measure AA.
Sylvia McLaughlin, now 94, co-founded Citizens for East Shore
Parks which is one of the most influential organizations
involved in the creation of Eastshore State Park. Ms.
McLaughlin is a longtime, distinguished environmental activist,
first achieving prominence through the Save the San Francisco
Bay Association (Save the Bay) which she co-founded in 1961.
Save the Bay was instrumental in the fight to limit
indiscriminate infill of the San Francisco Bay, in part through
providing significant support for the passage in 1965 of the
McAteer-Petris Act (Act). The Act also established the San
Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, a state
agency entrusted with safeguarding the San Francisco Bay.
PROPOSED LAW
This resolution would honor Sylvia McLaughlin by requesting the
Department of Parks and Recreation (Department) to rename the
Eastshore State Park the McLaughlin Eastshore State Park and
contains numerous legislative findings enumerating Ms.
McLaughlin's substantial contributions in support.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
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According to the author, "Over the last four decades, Sylvia
McLaughlin has been influential in many ecological efforts to
safeguard the San Francisco Bay region. Sylvia McLaughlin's
participation in the creation of Eastshore State Park has been
more than instrumental. ACR 55's intent is to rename Eastshore
State Park as a tribute to Sylvia McLaughlin's extensive
environmental activism, her strong role in saving the San
Francisco Bay, and in recognition of her efforts in creating
Eastshore State Park."
Bruce Beyaert writes, "Sylvia McLaughlin certainly has earned
this recognition and is a role model for all who know her. The
name McLaughlin Eastshore State Park with an associated park
brochure and interpretative exhibit will make future generations
aware that effective citizen action plays a critical role in the
creation of public parks and trails." Save the Bay, Citizens for
East Shore Parks and the Golden Gate Audubon Society are
similarly effusive in praise of Ms. McLaughlin, lauding her as
"a force of nature."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None received
COMMENTS
The costs associated with name changes . SCR 113 (Wiggins, 2008)
expressed the Legislature's intent that the Department re-name a
portion of land under their jurisdiction in memory of a
distinguished scientific researcher (the Emanuel Fritz Forest
Ecosystem Research Area in the lower Big River watershed). This
resolution specified that no state funds be used to pay for new
signs. Other recent resolutions - such as the over 250
chaptered resolutions since 1999 that rename portions of the
state transportation system in memory of public safety officers
killed in the line of duty, and other distinguished individuals
or organizations - also require that no state funds be used to
replace signs. This resolution is silent on this issue. In
view of the state's - and particularly state parks' - economic
situation, the committee may wish to amend this resolution to
incorporate language indicating that no state funds should be
used to replace signs (amendment 1).
The Department's Guidelines . Citing its statutory authority, the
Department has developed Donor & Sponsorship Recognition
Guidelines (Guidelines). These Guidelines, most recently
updated in 2007, seek to provide a standard systematic policy on
providing recognition to those individuals and organizations who
have made significant contributions to state parks. Numerous
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state parks and elements with them, such as trails, are named in
honor of or recognize these distinguished individuals and
organizations. The Guidelines acknowledge and seek, over time,
to limit inconsistency in naming and recognition practices
between parklands.
The Guidelines specifically acknowledge that the Legislature,
the State Parks Director and the California State Park and
Recreation Commission (Commission) have the authority to name a
park unit, sub-unit or facility in honor of a person with a
"distinguished or unique relationship with the State Park
System." A unit may be named by the Commission "in honor or a
person living or deceased, or a group, organization, or other
entity which has rendered services of statewide significance to
the State Park System." The Guidelines note, however, that
deliberate efforts have been made not to name park units after
individuals as state parklands "are public places owned by all
of the people of California." The Guidelines recommend that
appreciation be expressed by "giving something to donors or
sponsors rather than by forms of recognition to be displayed in
the park." If physical on-site recognition is appropriate then
"temporary/transient forms of recognition are preferred," and
existing recognition inconsistent with the Guidelines should be
phased out as possible. The Guidelines specifically mention
that where a donor is "integrally related to the park or the
existence of the park" that the donor's contributions should be
integrated into interpretive programs, or other non-permanent
recognition with limited exception.
Re-naming parks can be controversial . In April 2003, the
Commission acted upon an outstanding legislative request in
memory of former-Assemblyman Ed Z'berg to add his name to Sugar
Pine Point State Park. Mr. Z'berg had a distinguished
legislative career and was instrumental in efforts to preserve
and protect Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas. During the
meeting, several spoke in opposition to the name change citing
multiple concerns. These included comments that state parks
represent a shared natural resource of all Californians, a
Z'berg Natural Preserve within the park already existed and
others. The Commission voted against the name change. Later
that year, trailer bill language forced the name change to Ed
Z'berg-Sugar Pine Point State Park (see Public Resources Code §
5015.6).
But, many state parks and parklands are named for individuals or
families . Examples include Henry W. Coe State Park, Pfeiffer Big
Sur State Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Zmudowski State Beach,
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and Samuel P Taylor State Park. Many of these parks are named in
honor of "historic" individuals who pioneered parkland
conservation in the 19th and early 20th centuries and whose
names became virtually synonymous with the locations that
subsequently became parkland. There are exceptions, however,
and a stand-alone bill to change the name of the Baldwin Hills
State Recreation Area to the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
passed in 1988 (SB 643, Watson, c. 451, Statutes of 1988). At
the time, Mr. Hahn was in his 36th year as a Los Angeles County
Supervisor. Development of the Department's current Guidelines
may not have started until the 1990s. Further, at least some
transfers of land to the state park system contain specific
contractual naming requirements. As mentioned above, current
Guidelines recommend that acknowledgement of individuals be
limited and impermanent. In September 2004, the Commission at a
regular meeting, unanimously passed a resolution to establish
the Byron D. Sher Grove in Mill Creek State Park in honor of the
former Senator. This action followed passage of SCR 91
(Figueroa, 2004) to rename the San Lorenzo River Redwoods (Henry
Cowell Redwoods State Park) after former Senator Sher.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS
AMENDMENT 1
Page 2, between lines 27 and 28, add:
"Resolved. That the Department of Parks and Recreation is
requested to determine the cost of appropriate signs,
consistent with the signing requirements for the state park
system, showing this designation and, upon receiving
donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover that
cost, to erect those signs; and be it further"
SUPPORT
Citizens for East Shore Parks (sponsor)
Save the Bay
The Golden Gate Audubon Society
Bruce Bayaert (Chair, Trails for Richmond Action Committee)
OPPOSITION
None Received
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