Voice of the Environment

March 30, 2005

Dear Board Member,

First, I want to congratulate our friend and colleague Martin Litton on the article that was recently published about him in Parade Magazine (enclosed). This article gave the important work Martin has been doing in preserving giant sequoias national exposure. I’m glad that Voice of the Environment was able to play a small role in this work by pointing out the flaws in President Clinton’s original designation of the Giant Sequoia National Monument in April 2000. Without the heroic efforts of Martin, these flaws would surely doom the last of these irreplaceable trees.

Voice of the Environment can point to several victories over the past year. In March, Mendocino County became the first political jurisdiction in the United States to ban the propagation and sale of genetically modified organisms. This movement has spread to several other counties, including Marin which recently passed an ordinance modeled after Mendocino, and Sonoma which has successfully placed an anti-GMO measure on the next ballot. Voice of the Environment staff played a major role in the informational campaign that helped Measure H win a decisive 58% of the vote (see enclosed editorial).

As you know, we’ve been involved in the issue of environmental toxins, and particularly heavy metals, for nearly two years. We are currently testing fertilizers that are marketed in California at a laboratory in Seattle . This testing will help us to determine whether the state (through the California Department of Food & Agriculture) has failed to enforce prohibitions against the manufacture and sale of fertilizers derived from hazardous solid waste.

In September, we authored an opinion piece encouraging the governor to sign legislation authored by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (enclosed). This bill, which ran into major opposition from the pharmaceutical industry, was aimed at making California among the first states in the country to ban thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative widely used in vaccines administered to children. Many reputable scientists, physicians, and politicians believe that mercury is among the key factors contributing to the alarming spike in childhood autism and a spectrum of related disorders. We felt gratified when the governor signed the bill in October.

Most of you will recall that we have been involved in a lawsuit against Wal-Mart for several years. This case was unexpectedly settled in late November, just a few days before trial was to begin in Mendocino County Superior Court. We had earlier scored a major victory as the result of a precedent-setting ruling by the state appeals court in San Francisco against Wal-Mart. Specifically, this ruling clarified that “time, place, and manner restrictions” (i.e., store policies) do not constitute law and therefore violating such policies doesn’t warrant arrest.

In the aftermath of the presidential election, we became involved in the questions that swirled around “voting irregularities,” particularly in the state of Ohio . We traveled to the capital city of Columbus in early December to participate in the run-up to the recount that was brought about through the combined efforts of the Green and Libertarian parties. Dan was arrested when he attempted to deliver a letter summarizing concerns raised by House Judiciary Committee Democrats and addressed to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. Dan wrote an article on his return from Ohio that was widely circulated through the internet. He also participated in a panel discussion at Sonoma State shortly after his return. The panel, which drew over 300 people, was hosted by Professor Peter Phillips, widely known for his leading role in SSU’s highly-regarded Project Censored.

In January, Voice of the Environment sponsored two events that received public support. First, we staged a counter-inaugural rally at the Mendocino County courthouse with a range of speakers including Democrats, Greens, community and religious leaders. We reserved special praise at the rally for Barbara Boxer who distinguished herself by being the lone voice of protest in the US Senate against the Ohio electoral debacle. A few days later, we sponsored Ralph Nader and former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonzalez at the tail end of their northern California speaking tour. The two events drew a combined 600 people.

This month, Voice of the Environment joined with the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in an alliance aimed at passing Senate Bill 1057, a newly minted version of last year’s California Heritage Tree Preservation Act. As you will remember, the bill passed the State Senate handily (25-13) but came up short in the Assembly. This time we have two advantages we lacked before: 1) principal author Don Perata is now the Senate President Pro Tem and therefore has enhanced power to get his legislation passed; and 2) our coalition is stronger and better funded. The downside is that we’ve had to make a couple of painful compromises in order to bring NRDC into the fold. Stay tuned.

On a final note, it’s time for us to get together for a board meeting. This can be accomplished by conference call. Can each of you please let me know what day of the week works best for you, and whether you prefer morning or afternoon? This should happen over the next month or so.

Thanks for being on the Voice of the Environment board. We appreciate your service and welcome any questions, comments, or suggestions. Financial contributions are also gratefully accepted.

LETTER TO BOARD MEMBERS