Posted on 06/08/2004 1:18:11 AM PDT by calcowgirl
A state audit has accused the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy of mismanaging $7 million in voter-approved bond money that was supposed to be used to acquire and restore parkland.
In a scathing report, Department of Finance auditors found that the conservancy “does not adequately manage, control, or oversee” $115 million in bond funds, funneling away money to pay for legal fees, office expenses, conferences, cars, travel, vacation and sick pay, and “excessive” overhead charges.
“In our opinion, they’re not spending funds in line with the bond measures,” said Samuel E. Hull, chief of the Office of State Audits and Evaluations. “Some of the things they did I’ve never seen before. They are creative, I’ll give them that.”
(snip)
State auditors have chided the conservancy in the past. In 1997, an audit found that the agency had paid $2.2 million in interest because it used promissory notes to acquire land rather than buying it outright.
The May audit was particularly critical of the close ties between the conservancy and the authority, a joint powers authority that the conservancy created 19 years ago to manage its land acquisitions. Edmiston directs both groups, and the auditors found that the relationship “compromises both organizations’ ability to adequately protect the bond funds from waste, abuse or irregularities.”
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
LOS ANGELES - The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy mismanaged $7 million in bond money approved by voters to acquire and preserve parkland, according to a recent state audit.
The conservancy failed to “adequately manage, control, or oversee” funds while spending on “excessive” overhead charges, legal fees, administrative costs, sick pay and vacation, state Department of Finance auditors said in the report.
“They’re not spending funds in line with the bond measures,” said Samuel E. Hull, chief of the Office of State Audits and Evaluations. “Some of the things they did I’ve never seen before.”
Conservancy officials defended the group.
“I don’t know what the numbers are, and I don’t care what the numbers are, frankly. All I know is we are the most successful land acquisition agency in the state of California,” said Jerome C. Daniel, the conservancy’s chairman and a board member. “It bothers me to be questioned about the way we’re doing business, when what really matters is the end result.”
The conservancy, an arm of the state Resources Agency, has obtained nearly 55,000 acres of open space in Los Angeles and Ventura counties since it was created in 1980. Its purchases expanded the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to 154,000 acres.
The audit criticizes the conservancy’s land-management authority for assessing fees to cover administrative overhead that auditors say were “grossly out of proportion to services provided.”
The conservancy also used $4.2 million in bond money for authority costs like education and planning instead of parkland and spent nearly $1.2 million on legal charges and a loan to cover a legal judgment, the report states.
The audit accuses conservancy Executive Director Joseph Edmiston of making unallowable expenditures such as $1,716 in long-distance telephone charges from Mexico and $577 in room service that exceeded state travel allowances.
Edmiston described the audit as “constructive,” but disputed several findings. The conservancy, for example, was forced to channel bond money for operating costs because it received little state funding, he said.
At the same time, the organization agreed to change some practices, and Edmiston reimbursed the conservancy for outlays the report said were inappropriate.
The audit looks at spending through June 2003 and $115 million in bond money from Propositions 12, 13 and 40.
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Landed gentry - Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy accountable to no one
Los Angeles Daily News
June 7, 2004
Los Angeles -- the second-largest city in the world -- is surrounded by thousands of acres of open land, wilderness and parks. They are among the city’s greatest assets.
Much of the credit for preserving this land goes to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and its land czar leader, Joseph Edmiston, who fought back the bulldozers on the city’s priciest property.
But even good organizations can go astray. And a recent state Department of Finance audit provides ample evidence that the conservancy has misused millions of dollars in public funds.
Voter-approved Propositions 12, 13 and 40 gave the conservancy $115 million in bonds to spend on parkland. According to the audit, the conservancy has mismanaged at least $7 million of that money, using it on legal fees, personal travel expenses and long-distance calls for Edmiston.
Given the oversight void in which the conservancy has been operating, excesses were inevitable. The conservancy staff and board operate with virtually no accountability to the public or even the state, which is nominally responsible for it. The conservancy was created by the state Legislature in 1980 with the goal of preserving significant portions of the Santa Monica Mountains from rampant development.
The organization has done that -- and much, much more, saving about 55,000 acres of parkland in the region.
Conservancy officials responded to the audit by saying, essentially, why does it matter if the money is being spent if we’re getting things done?
That’s been the attitude Edmiston has displayed for a long time and it’s unacceptable. This is the public’s money and taxpayers have a right to know it is being spent wisely and for their benefit.
There’s no question that the conservancy has acted in the popular interest of Californians by saving thousands of acres of priceless open space for everyone to use. But the system under which it’s operating needs to be rethought.
It’s time for the state Legislature to revisit the structure of the conservancy and force the organization to operate in the sunshine, accountable to the public for which it is working. When $7 million can be misspent before anyone bats an eye, it means the system is operating too far in the dark shadows.
“I don’t know what the numbers are, and I don’t care what the numbers are, frankly. All I know is we are the most successful land acquisition agency in the state of California,” said Jerome C. Daniel, the conservancy’s chairman and a board member. “It bothers me to be questioned about the way we’re doing business, when what really matters is the end result.”This absence of accountability and oversight is unacceptable. We have the chance to stop this type of vermin from infesting the Sierra Nevada.
STOP THE SIERRA NEVADA CONSERVANCY NOW!
Call your Senator, Call Arnold... tell them NO!
For action info on Sierra Nevada, go to: CA freepers, RED ALERT Thread 2
Yup! As with the "Tahoe Conservacancy," the employees are driving around in pick-ups with license plates that say "EXEMPT" and getting state paychecks with generous "Defined BENEFIT," (not defined CONTRIBUTION like your measly 401(k)) CalPERS PENSIONS and freedom to attend all the activist meetings after work hours to raise money for NGO lawsuits against local governments that approve more development on private sector property than they like...
It's the truth, people!!! I've seen it up close and personal!!! I don't care who's Governor... This skullduggery has to be stopped!!!
“I don’t know what the numbers are, and I don’t care what the numbers are, frankly. All I know is we are the most successful land acquisition agency in the state of California,” said Jerome C. Daniel, the conservancy’s chairman and a board member. “It bothers me to be questioned about the way we’re doing business, when what really matters is the end result.”
The above is typical of the arrogance of the Elitist Enviral Nazis in California. Like their poster boy, al Ghorroid, "There is not controlling legal authority!"
If that county had a real DA and California had a real Attorney General, these Watermelon Fascists would be facing trial very soon.
Seems I'm going to have to start paying attention to this. (I've been off FR for quite a while.) Sierra, what do you know about the Tahoe Regional Planning Commission? Is this Sierra Conservancy thing supposed to supplant it?
I've always referred to it as a Federal Penal Colony, because it's only purpose is to penalize anyone that owns property in the Tahoe Basin. In order to build or develop (which means "any disturbance of the soil") ANYTHING on one's property, one must buy a number in "the lottery" and then wait an eternity for your number to come up!!!
I'm not going to rant on, because I sure could. Pacific Legal Foundation had to take a poor old widow womans "right to sue" all the way to the SCOTUS because these totalitarian bullies used their unlimited resources to continue throwing her and her husband out of court.
No, that's another reason this Sierra-Nevada Conservacancy is not needed whatsoever! It duplicates, but does not absorb TRPA (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency)!!! Check in with farmfriend and calcowgirl as they are fully informed and loaded with current info for you peruse. Maybe the three of you lady Freepers can topple this attempted "SEIZURE OF THE SIERRA!"
I think Assemblyman Tim Leslie could be induced to kill the thing, if enough pressure was brought to bare, but... He's torn because he knows our Governor wants it because Robert Kennedy, Jr. wants it for his GANG-GREEN following in CA!!!
SW gives me way too much credit for knowledge... other than the things I've posted, I'm just researching and learning (and screaming), lol.
Posted by calcowgirl On 04/03/2004 with 117 comments
A Sierra umbrella? - Conservancy proposed to protect mountain range
Posted by farmfriend On 05/25/2004 with 84 comments
CA freepers, RED ALERT RED ALERT!!!
Posted by forester On 05/27/2004 with 77 comments
CA freepers, RED ALERT Thread 2
Well said. So sad, but true.
Me too. I have been working on the activism part with Hedgetrimmer. She set up a radio show and I am trying to galvanize the State Grange into doing some active lobbying. I'm hoping to go to the committee meetings and maybe speak to the committee. We are also looking at doing some informational forums in different counties. I may do one at Banner Grange.
The conservancy's legacy is a reflection of its longtime executive director, Joseph Edmiston, a politically shrewd administrator who has aggressively expanded his agency's reach over 24 years of shifting administrations in Sacramento and Washington. Its jurisdiction now stretches beyond the Santa Monica Mountains, from Whittier Narrows to a nature park in South Los Angeles; from the Santa Susana Mountains on the San Fernando Valley's edge to the Santa Clara River in the Santa Clarita Valley to the San Gabriel Mountains.
Doug McIntyre is a radio talk show host here in L.A. who has a personal interest in this issue. One of the links from his website is:
Keep informed on the very serious issues related to Joe Edmiston and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Visit: http://www.joemustgo.org.
BTTT!!!!!!
Mad as Hell BUMP!
LOL. I think McIntyre is great!
I posted those articles last night (i.e. this morning) after I heard him first mention that Edmiston was in trouble.
I was hoping he might grab the Sierra Nevada Conservancy as a discussion topic. I emailed him all of the content in the RED ALERT 2 Post by Forester with a PLEASE HELP message. I have received no response, and haven't heard him mention it (although I certainly don't listen to his whole show, midnight to 5:00AM every morning, or I wouldn't get any sleep!).
This link goes to the message board at joemustgo.org.
I get up around 3 AM most days so I listen to Doug quite a bit. ;)
I try to listen from about midnight to 2:00 or so. I'm pretty confident he received my email, so I don't want to inundate him with another one. I've emailed him before on things and he never responds... but from listening to him a lot, I know he does usually read all his email. Maybe it just didn't strike his fancy, or he thinks it is "a northern California issue" that won't appeal to his audience.
Of course... that shouldn't stop someone else from sending him another email regarding the Sierra Nevada ;-)
Thanks for the ping.As a newbie to FR, I really appreciate the access to reports of this kind of abuse. As a Coloradan, I will keep my eyes open for similar events, because the Eco-Whackos here are always up to something.
IMHO, this story tells me that there should be a severe limit on any State (or Federal) acquisition of land for any reason whatsoever. Land should be private property, and whoever owns it should have the right of private property, that is, to say, the right to exploit or dispose of it in whatever way they choose.
Santa Monica Mountains
A small range that runs only 50 miles (81km) from Griffith Park to Point Mugu, on the coast north of Malibu, makes Los Angeles a great place for hiking. The mountains, which peak at 3,111 feet, are part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a contiguous conglomeration of 350 public parks and 65,000 acres. Many animals live in this area, including deer, coyote, rabbit, skunk, rattlesnake, fox, hawk, and quail. The hills are also home to almost 1,000 drought-resistant plant species, including live oak and coastal sage. Hiking is best after spring rains, when the hills are green, flowers are in bloom, and the air is clear. Summers can be very hot; hikers should always carry fresh water. Beware of poison oak, a hearty shrub that's common on the west coast. Usually found among oak trees, poison oak has leaves in groups of three, with waxy surfaces and prominent veins. If you come into contact with this itch-producing plant, bathe yourself in calamine lotion, or the ocean. For trail maps and more information, contact the National Parks Service tel. 818-597-1036
As you can see, the SMMC is responsible for 55,000 acres of the 65,000 acres that is in State ownership. Three questions:
1) Were strong arm/extortion tactics used to turn people into willing sellers? If so, are there people who are on record telling their stories?
2) Why is a government website offline?
3) Is the goal of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to buy the Sierra's and turn it into the Range of Light National Park?
It worked for me
http://smmc.ca.gov/index.html
Maybe they just cut off any linkage to joemustgo.org
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