A Letter From The President...

July 27, 2007

Dear Allensworth PAL,

We’ve come a long way since our January meeting in Assemblyman Mike Davis’s office, in which Assemblyman Davis, Deputy Attorney General Tom Green, Assemblywoman Wilmer Carter, Speaker Nunez’ Chief Counsel Fredricka McGee and others discussed preserving Allensworth from the pending threat of the megadairies.

At that time, Bill AB576 – which would establish a 2½ mile buffer zone around Allensworth SHP, within which all animal husbandry would be prohibited – was being drafted by Assemblywoman Wilmer Carter.  From the time of its inception, more than a hundred concerned and committed citizens have followed and supported the bill, which has so far passed through the State Assembly and the Senate Natural Resource and Water Committee, and is now headed for the Senate floor.  The current form of the Bill can be seen at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

A simple majority of 21 votes is needed for Senate approval of the bill.  Though the date for AB576 to be heard on the Senate floor has not yet been set, the timing of its passage there and subsequently reaching the Governor’s desk is important.  On September 15th, the Legislature will recess for the remainder of the year.  If the bill reaches the Governor’s desk before then, the Governor will have 12 days to act.  If it reaches his desk after September 15th, he will have 30.

Once he receives the bill, the Governor must take one of three actions:  He may sign it, veto it, or let it sit on his desk.  If he neither signs nor vetoes the bill within the prescribed time, it will automatically become law.  The Secretary of State would then chapter the Bill, and enter it into California Code.

As the Bill makes its way to the floor of the Senate, a pressing question emerges: How exactly will our Senators view this issue?  As they consider the opposing perspectives involved in the matter, what value will our Senators place on Allensworth’s importance as an historic cultural and ethnic site, as over and against the purely financial interests of big business?

Moreover, what value do you and I place on the importance of preserving the landmarks of our history, the accomplishments, vignettes, traditions, and oral histories that tell the story of our hard–fought journey?  These basic elements make up the rich social foundation on which we stand, and the prism that shapes our perceptions and assessments of life.  In short, we are the fruit of this priceless heritage.  This legacy is the foundation from which our children will launch their lives.

Obviously, we must not overlook the benefits of the business sector, nor minimize the fact that man’s basic needs – food, clothing, and housing – are usually met as the result of employment by the business sector.  But in this recognition we must not be blind to the pitfalls and landmines, such as exist in the current situation, wherein the prosperity of big business will come at an exceedingly high cost – the extermination our of our very quality of life – and leave us in a debilitating communal malaise.

Therefore, it is imperative that every one of us use the influence we have to get this bill approved by our Senators, whom, after all, we have elected to represent the interests of We, the People.

Take time now, to go to Support Allensworth SHP and send your letter to our Senators and the Governor supporting AB576.    And please, encourage at least three others to do the same.

Your Sister in the Cause,

Beverly Blake
Preserving the Allensworth Legacy Support Group
Allensworth PALS