Does future of Fresnos San Joaquin River Parkway rest with bill to reshape leadership?
Decision-making authority over the San Joaquin River Parkway and paying for its management and upkeep were the focal points of a Tuesday news conference attended by California Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and local youth advocates. Overlooking Californias second-longest river at Spano Park in northwest Fresno, speakers touted an Arambula-authored bill that would reshape the governing board of the San Joaquin River Conservancy, the state agency entrusted with assembling the 22-mile river recreation and ecological corridor from Friant Dam to Highway 99. AB 559 passed the Assembly floor by a 56-17 vote last month and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water. Arambula also spoke about his other parkway-related priority: a $15 million earmark within the current state budget to pay for the parkways management and upkeep through 2026. That item remains subject to Gov. Gavin Newsoms veto. It is a top priority for me and my office to make sure that we are bringing park space back to our communities as well as addressing the equity issues that we currently have on the conservancy board, said Arambula, who represents 468,000 residents of south Fresno and western Fresno County. Im going to continue to work on this and wont stop till we have access to the river, the jewel thats right here in our backyard.  In its current version, AB 559 would increase the San Joaquin River Conservancy Board membership from 15 to 17 by adding a representative from a local Native American tribe and a fourth public member to represent statewide interests. The three other public members (Fresno County resident, Madera County resident and city of Fresno resident) would come from a list submitted by local nonprofits that support outdoor recreation, conservation, environmental justice, or social justice issues.  AB 559 removes the current stipulation that at least one of the two public board members be a property owner along the San Joaquin River. It also contains language that transfers the power to appoint public members from the governor to the Assembly speaker if vacancies are not filled within one year. This is important because the current San Joaquin River Conservancy board has lacked a 15th member, a Madera County resident, since 2017. Because Gov. Newsom and Gov. Jerry Brown rejected nominations sent to them by the Madera County Board of Supervisors. All public board members in state conservancies are gubernatorial appointees. Bill ends rotation of board chair position  The most controversial provision of AB 559, at least in political circles, is the one that opens the positions of board chair and vice chair to all voting members. As currently configured, the board chair rotates every two years between an elected representative from the city of Fresno, Fresno County and Madera County. Of Californias 10 state conservancies, the San Joaquin River Conservancy is the only one set up so that the board chair can only be an elected official and not a public member. We are simply attempting to align the San Joaquin River Conservancy board with all the rest of the state conservancies that elect their chairmen rather than a rotation that was written into the law, Arambula said. Both the Fresno County Board of Supervisors and Madera County Board of Supervisors are opposed to AB 559. It is supported by the Fresno City Council and Madera Mayor Santos Garcia, who also serves on the conservancy board. On hand to lend support for AB 559 as well as the $15 million budget item, Assembly Speaker Rendon said he would push Newsom to approve both. The governor has been supportive of these types of projects in the past  and this is something Ive called to his attention on at least two different occasions, said Rendon, who represents eastern Los Angeles County. The budget process is a three-way negotiation, but this is an incredibly important project and Im going to advocate for it as hard as I can.  California Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula, right, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Redon chat during a press conference at Spano Park in Fresno on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Arambula and Rendon were pushing for Assembly Bill 559 that would reshape the San Joaquin River conservancy board as well as $15 million earmark in the state budget for operations and maintenance of the San Joaquin River Parkway. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com  Fresno councilman: Funding comes at a price  Fresno City Councilman Mike Karbassi issued a statement Tuesday seemingly in opposition to Arambulas bill. The current San Joaquin River Conservancy board chair called it a shame that a substantial recall effort against Newsom was required to procure much-needed operations and maintenance funding. It is not lost on me that this funding comes at a price, Karbassi said. The Governor, Speaker, and Assemblyman Arambula are eroding local control that has allowed the City of Fresno, County of Fresno, City of Madera, and County of Madera to make decisions critical to their residents being able to safely enjoy the immense asset that is the San Joaquin River. The Governor is now leveraging the San Joaquin River as his own personal recall life raft  attempting to win over Central Valley residents with funds, while reducing their control over their own community asset.  The San Joaquin River is seen from Spano Park in Fresno with Valley Childrens Hospital in Madera County visible in the distance on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. California Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon were pushing for Assembly Bill 559 that would reshape the San Joaquin River conservancy board as well as $15 million earmark in the state budget for operations and maintenance of the San Joaquin River Parkway. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com  The news conference was organized by Fresno Building Healthy Communities, a nonprofit that was instrumental in getting the Measure P parks tax on the ballot and eventually passed by city of Fresno voters. This river and this community are intertwined in so many ways, said Paying Her, BHCs parks and outdoor advocate. But there is no one who looks like me or my family on the San Joaquin River board.  Its not about calling out the current board, which is doing as much as they can, Fresno BHC president and CEO Sandra Celedon said. Its about increasing the representation to allow more voices at the table.  Rivers are an incredible part of our communities, and developing green spaces around them provides both climate and health benefits. That's why I was glad to join @drarambulaAD31 in @CityofFresno today to talk about the importance of supporting the San Joaquin River Conservancy. pic.twitter.com/3IwOFvDorJ  Anthony Rendon (@Rendon63rd) June 22, 2021