Taking from outdoors funds not a good way to go

Governor trying to balance budget from wrong pot

By Guy Carl
Outdoors

With the resounding defeat of five of the six propositions in this month’s special election — and a looming, massive $23 billion budget shortfall — Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has once again proposed to subsidize the General Fund by transferring monies from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund.

This is the account where annual hunting and fishing license fees, all bear tag monies, a significant portion of deer tag revenues and other big game tag funds are annually deposited.

These funds are intended to be reserved specifically for wildlife management programs.

The latest proposal would take $30 million from this account, nearly one-third of the total annual budget of roughly $100 million.

Redirecting these funds substantially undermines the Department of Fish and Game’s ability to carry out its habitat protection and wildlife conservation mandates — including providing adequate enforcement in the field.

California’s game warden force is already grossly understaffed, with less than 300 on the payroll.

And nearly one-third of these are only in the field part-time due to other administrative responsibilities.

For the amount of square mileage these wardens have to patrol, that is a ridiculously small force. Taking further money from this already-inadequate budget is simply ludicrous.

The California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA), which played a lead role in defeating two similar budget proposals earlier this year, will again be working at the State Capitol over the coming weeks to protect this critical funding stream from being ripped off for unrelated uses.

Anglers, hunters and other conservationists can join the fight by contacting their state representatives to ask that these proposals be soundly rejected.

Napa County is represented by Senator Pat Wiggins and Assemblymember Noreen Evans. Letters can be mailed to both representatives at 1040 Main Street, Suite 205, Napa, CA 94559.

Senator Wiggins can also be reached at 224-1990 or through her Web site, www.sen.ca.gov/wiggins.

Assemblymember Evans also has a Web site, www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/legmem.asp?district=7, or you may call her Napa office at 258-8007.

Guy Carl is a CPA and partner with BDCo Accountants and Advisors in St. Helena (www.bdcocpa.com).

Contact Guy at GC.outdoors@sbcglobal.net.

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