BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER
Senator Fran Pavley, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SCR 79 Hearing Date: July 14,
2015
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|Author: |McGuire | | |
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|Version: |July 8, 2015 Amended |
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|Urgency: | |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|William Craven |
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Subject: Trione Annadel State Park.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
Henry Trione was a Sonoma County resident who was instrumental
in the creation of the 5,000 acre Annadel State Park through his
investment in the land that became the park and that preserved
it from development. He contributed additional funding to help
keep the park open when the Department of Parks was
contemplating park closures around 2012. His dedication to this
and other parks in Sonoma County was recognized by the Sonoma
County Board of Supervisors and the City of Santa Rosa which
support renaming Annadel State Park into Trione Annadel State
Park.
PROPOSED LAW
This resolution would request that the Department of Parks and
Recreation rename Annadel State Park as Trione Annadel State
Park.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, this resolution
would honor the memory of Henry Trione who died in February,
2015, at age 94. Trione was a former board chairman of the
California State Parks Foundation, and received an honorary
state park ranger award from the California State Parks Rangers
Association. He created and preserved the Luther Burbank Center
(now the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts) in Santa Rosa and the
Empire College of Law.
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The City of Santa Rosa stated that Trione left a huge legacy
across Sonoma County, and the north coast region. The city
indicates that Trione had the foresight to acquire 5,000 acres
of magnificent property that is in the middle of an urban area
which makes it accessible to thousands of guests each year. The
letter also observes that despite his many accomplishments,
there is nothing that memorializes his name, and the city
believes that this resolution is an appropriate way to pay
homage.
The California State Parks Foundation is also in support for
many of the reasons indicated by the two local governments. It
points out that Trione's support of state parks extended to Fort
Ross State Historic Park, Bale Grist Mill in Napa County, Ed
Z'Berg Sugar Pine State Park at Lake Tahoe, and the restoration
of Jack London's cottage at Jack London State Historic Park.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None received.
COMMENTS
The Department's Guidelines.
1. Citing its statutory authority, the Department has developed
Donor & Sponsorship Recognition Guidelines (Guidelines) which
may be accessed here:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/23071/files/finaldonorguidelinesrev
ise9_07b.pdf
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 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 park
units.
The Guidelines specifically acknowledge that the Legislature,
the State Parks Director and the California State Park and
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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." 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 to add
the name of former-Assemblyman Ed Z'berg 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 naming and re-naming for individuals happens.
On the other hand, 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, and Samuel P Taylor State Park. Many of
these parks are named in honor of "historic" individuals who
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pioneered parkland conservation in the 19th and early 20th
centuries and whose names became virtually synonymous with the
locations that subsequently became parkland.
In another instance, legislation re-naming Baldwin Hills State
Recreation Area 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. This was prior to the development of the current
Guidelines.
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 Grove, located in Henry
Cowell Redwoods State Park, after former Senator Sher.
Friendly amendment? The California State Parks Foundation notes
that re-naming state parks is a weighty undertaking that should
follow established process. The existing process is for the
State Park and Recreation Commission to consider name changes as
part of its standing responsibilities, because that is the forum
the department uses for public input and transparency. Staff
understands that the author would accept an amendment to that
effect. (Amendment 1).
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS
AMENDMENT 1
Page 2, lines 22-23: State Park and Recreation Commission,
working with the Department of Parks and Recreation rename
Annadel State Park as Trione Annadel State Park;
SUPPORT
California State Park Foundation
City of Santa Rosa
County of Sonoma
OPPOSITION
None Received
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