Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 05/20/2010 11:18:44 PM PDT by dersepp
SAN FRANCISCO -- Conservative activists backing a ballot initiative that would repeal four environmental laws in California -- including the state's climate change measure -- were authorized to start gathering signatures yesterday by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen.
Bowen announced that Oscar Braun, a private citizen from Half Moon Bay, Calif., could begin collecting the 694,354 signatures he needs to place his constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Braun has until late June to qualify those signatures if his effort is to make the fall election.
The ballot measure is as ambitious as it is incendiary. It would repeal the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act, the California Endangered Species Act and the California Global Warming Solutions Act. Even more controversially, it seeks to establish "new inalienable rights to produce, use, and consume air, carbon dioxide, water, habitat for humanity and energy generating natural resources."
In an interview, Braun -- who worked for Johnson & Johnson for nearly three decades and considers himself an expert on water resource management -- explained his campaign is serious and tied directly to the tea party movement and former California Rep. Richard Pombo (R). "I am not a crackpot," he added.
Braun, 67, said he was drawn to a newfound activism by the arm-twisting that led to the passage of a health care reform bill in Congress earlier this year. He cited rumors that California Democratic Reps. Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa had voted "yes" on health care in exchange for promises from the White House that water flows to the San Joaquin Valley from federal reservoirs would be increased following heavy winter rains.
When water flows were increased after the passage of health care following the winter storms, Braun said, he'd had enough of the "eco-tyranny" that he says has taken over politics in California and in Congress.
'Eco-terrorist tactics'
"It's about the water wars here in California," Braun said. "It's about the eco-terrorist tactics that the Obama administration has utilized in order to get his health care program through."
In addition to support from Pombo, who lost his House seat in 2006 but is running this year to succeed Rep. George Radanovich (R), Braun says he has the backing of the California Latino Water Coalition, Rep. Devin Nunes (R) and a group he formed called the California Watershed Posse. The Latino coalition, chaired by comedian Paul Rodriguez, and Nunes have been vocally calling on the federal government for the last year to release more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta to farmers.
The campaign appears unlikely to get the signatures in time to make the state ballot in November, but Braun insists he and his posse have a chance. Braun said he is a Catholic and intends to use "every Catholic church in the state of California" to spread the word that he needs signatures.
Braun's effort comes as another measure that would suspend California's climate law appears likely to make the November ballot, where voters will decide whether to suspend the measure until unemployment dips to 5.5 percent for four consecutive quarters. A group calling itself the California Jobs Initiative recently submitted enough signatures to get that initiative on the ballot and is waiting for Bowen to officially qualify its petitions.
Steve Maviglio, spokesman for a campaign seeking to defend A.B. 32, said Braun's campaign is the work of radicals.
"This is another attempt by extremists to kill jobs and California's clean energy economy," Maviglio said. "The only difference between this measure and the dirty energy proposition is that he doesn't have $3 million of oil and coal money to buy his way onto the ballot."
Unalienable Human Rights Initiative
A. The State of California shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of the People’s exclusive UNALIENABLE RIGHTS to Life; or abridging the freedom of the People’s exclusive UNALIENABLE RIGHTS to Life, Production, Use and Consumption of air, CO2, water, habitat for humanity, and energy generating natural resources.
B. The State of California shall not levy any taxes, fees, assessments or fines on the Production, Use or Consumption by the People of air, CO2, water, habitat for humanity, and energy generating natural resources.
C. The State of California, upon approval by the electorate, shall repeal the 1970 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the 1976 California Coastal Act (Prop. 20), California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and the 2006 US California Global Warming Act (AB32), and expunge all references and all citations from the repealed laws found within the California Public Resource Code and Health and Safety Code.
D. The People of California shall have the exclusive UNALIENABLE RIGHTS to “NULLIFY” ALL Federal powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the State of California respectively, or to the People.
California Freepers, download and have your family and friends sign and return this petition. Then tell your Tea Party Group, 9/12 Organization, the candidate committee members you work with, as well as all those on the personal and professional email address books you keep.
Just look at who Steve Maviglio is to know the right people are worried about this: http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?func=display&module=roles&uid=18
Download the petition here: http://www.waterforfighting.org/UHR_Petition.pdf
Learn about the WFF PAC here: http://www.waterforfighting.org/waterforfighting/pages/index.html
Thank you for fighting the good fight!
Having seen what Cal Supremes have done in the past, I find it hard to believe they won’t invalidate this for violating the “one subject” rule of initiative measures.
For what it is worth, the key item we had to fight hardest for was our use of unalienable vs. inalienable. We were told by the Legislative Counsel that these words meant the same, although we certainly disagreed. But if they meant the same, why were they arguing about it and changing things at each step? Their summary, which we had no control over, uses inalienable, despite the use of the other in our proposal.
Thanks for the comment.
I wish you all the luck in the world on this, and offer prayers for success, also.
I wish that CA voters would vote in favor of HUMANS over sand slugs.
Thousands of boaters (and anyone else who has a seasonal use gasoline engine) would thank you if it did.
LOL!!! What's to kill? You clowns don't produce energy!!!
Ethanol DOES NOT, as you know, improve engine efficiency. Less bounce for the buck. Not better, not cleaner.
Not only that,but the zoning and other people fight the erection of “green” electric-producing wind-driven generators and even solar panels.Check out various “green” publications and on-line comments for stories of the difficulty some have had in seeking approval to make their own power.
Having worked with environmental law in CA, the public has not idea how costly, in terms of the economy and state resources, that it has been.
It is the difference between a bankrupt California, and the era of the Golden State and the California Dream.
Their summaries are sometimes ok. The titles they assign tend to be very biased. You've got a good title.
There are still hydroelectric dams in the western side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Many dams got removed—thanks to the green beanies.
Proof that the EPA decision to stop flow was political in the first place. I weep for what my country has become, a thugocracy.
Throw the morons out BUMP!
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