What’s at Stake in 2018 Bond Measures? $500 Million for the Sierra, That’s What
Hard to believe I’m writing about another water bond, but we find ourselves in the interesting position of having two different water-related funding initiatives that could be on the ballot in 2018: SB 5 in June and a citizens’ initiative in November. Climate, growth, and other impacts on the state’s water system are immense, so two measures shouldn’t feel like overkill. Rather they indicate the depth of the issue.
It’s Not Over: An Update on the DOI’s National Monuments Recommendation
It’s not over yet. On Sunday, a leaked copy of the Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Zinke’s recommendations on national monuments was obtained by The Washington Post, and revealed his plan to vastly reduce at least four monuments. The recommendations came after Zinke received more than 2.8 million public comments, with over 99% of Americans urging for maintained protection.
Parks for the People: A Look into This Year’s Parks Bond
With the deadline to introduce bills come and gone, we now have a better idea of our key legislative priorities for 2017. Out of 2,615 bills introduced by the recent deadline, SBC has targeted approximately 45 for further research and tracking. We will act on a subset of those once we see how each bill shapes up throughout the session.
Our Top 10 List from the 2016 Legislative Year
Here’s SBC’s Harper’s Index version of a Legislative Top 10 List for 2016!
Number of bills identified as initially “of interest”: 90
Number of bills regularly tracked for potential action: 50
Number of bills chosen as priorities for concentrated activity: 15
Number of letters submitted on priority bills and other bills of interest: 65…
Blinding Flash of the Obvious: The Election Results and SBC
This is a risky post, but I’m doing it anyway.
It’s been two weeks since Election Day when I woke up ready to seize the day, donned my pantsuit and optimistically went along in my blue bubble. By 11pm that night, optimism switched to disbelief as I watched the country turn red. I could no longer ignore my blind spot.
What We Stand For
Sierra Business Council pioneers and demonstrates innovative approaches and solutions to increase community vitality, environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social fairness in the Sierra Nevada.
How Many Hats Does One Wear to Make a Difference?
Don’t let my tongue twister of a title fool you–this isn’t about cats in hats, or fashion even, (though you can expect a blog on one of the two in the future, I’ll let you guess which one).
I’m talking about the hard hats of responsibility, the roles we take on when we find issues that we’re passionate about, and how a resource-stressed community can produce innovative results through shared responsibility.
Change Happens Because of You: A Day in The White House Press Corps
I recently crossed off a bucket-list item I didn’t even know I had. I got to play “journalist-for-a-day,” with real media credentials and everything! Not just for *any* event, either — but for the 20th annual Tahoe Summit, with the President of the United States as keynote speaker!
What Happens in the Sierra Doesn’t Stay in the Sierra: Why Advocacy Matters
I’d like to get something off of my chest: The Sierra Nevada does not receive its fair share of state funding. There, I’ve said it.
The region has historically been under-represented in state decisions about funding, especially for natural resource protection and management.
Everyone has an opinion…until you hold a public hearing?
A year ago I wrote about the importance of planning with regards to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and getting the most bang for your buck. Last month we read about the importance of implementing those plans. Today I’d like to write about the importance of community input.