Dear California Trail Advocate,

Please e-mail or call (916.445.2841) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to support SB 669.

What is SB 669?
California has a chance to create a 2,200-mile biking/hiking/equestrian trail network on the levees of the Central Valley. California Senate Bill 669, authored by State Sen. Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch) and sponsored by the California Grange, authorizes the Delta Commission to study and draft a plan to set that vision in motion. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Western Regional Office, based in San Francisco, supports the bill and urges you to encourage Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign it.

See below for a background summary on this issue and SB 669.

SB 669 has passed the Legislature and is now awaiting the governor's decision. This could happen any time between now and Oct. 14. Please act today.

Please help us track this issue by forwarding us any e-mail you send on this issue (below). Please distribute this action alert as widely as possible. Be sure to keep your letter short and to the point. Consider using the talking points we have provided below.

TALKING POINTS: SB 669 will:

• promote agritourism and support local farmers throughout the Central Valley;
• preserve agricultural lands by encouraging compact development;
• promote water conservation;
• provide a great recreational resource, and;
• encourage healthy, active living through making walking and bicycling accessible to everyone.

Contact Gov. Schwarzenegger at:
Fax: 916.445.4633
Phone: 916.445.2841
E-mail: http://gov.ca.gov/interact#email

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Western Regional Office: western@railstotrails.org

If you have questions about SB 669 or this action alert, please contact us at 415.397.2220 or western@railstotrails.org.

Please be sure to forward this message on to your friends and family in California using the link at the top of this e-mail.

Thank you.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Western Regional Office

BACKGROUND:

SB 669 is the first step in a project proposed by the California State Grange to create a network of trails for hiking and bicycling on the levees of the Central Valley. This bill, authored by Sen. Torlakson, authorizes the Delta Commission to study and make plans to implement a trail network including hiking, bicycling, and equestrian uses of the levees in the Delta region. This is an important first step toward full implementation of the project throughout the 2,200 miles of publicly owned levees in the Central Valley.

The full text of the bill is available here. To read the Senate Committee Analysis, go here.

Sacramento Bike Rally:
Please join the Grange at Sacramento's Cesar Chavez Park at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 2, for a "Bike around the Capital" rally.  Please come ride your bikes in support of SB 669.

ABOUT AGRITOURISM:
Agritourism is a relatively new vacation style that typically takes place on farms. It encourages tourists to gain a deeper understanding of and participation in their food systems, and allows them to support family farms. To read more about agritourism, please see page three of the California Grange News, 2007, Issue Three. The Grange is a non-profit organization representing rural and agricultural interests.

Thank you.