Our collective efforts are working! On August 31st, the Senate approved the Great Redwood Trail bill (SB 1029) on a vote of 36 to 1. A huge thanks to all of you who made calls, sent letters and signed the Great Redwood Trail petition to the Governor’s office; you were instrumental in getting this approved by the Legislature! Next step, we need to urge the Governor to sign the bill into law.
The bill still has opposition and there are people behind the scenes who do not want any changes at North Coast Rail Authority (NCRA). We need to show the Governor’s office that this is the best solution for the right-of-way, the state, and the north coast.
Send your letters ASAP to:
Honorable Edmund G. Brown, Jr.
Governor of California
State Capitol, 1st Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Key talking points about the benefits of the Great Redwood Trail to include in your letter are below, with additional talking points available here.
• Preserves and protects this 300 mile jewel of a public transportation right-of-way.
• Completes the financial study of NCRA so the right-of-way can go to responsible agencies and the NCRA can be shuttered once and for all.
• Severely restricts NCRA’s official powers and duties in the meantime, so that they cannot do any more damage, and ensures their cooperation with the state assessment.
• Starts the process of re-opening this stunning North Coast transportation channel as a world class Trail.
• Gives Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) the opportunity to acquire and take over the freight contract in order to put it back into the public’s hands.
It’s been a long year and a lot of work getting SB 1029 to pass the Legislature. The SCBC partnered with dozens of organizations and agencies statewide to form the Great Redwood Trail Alliance, and thanks to the leadership of Senator McGuire’s office and the dedicated support of all of you, we’re almost there – please take a moment to write the Governor’s office today!