MLPA - Coming clean at the closing bell

[mwm]

"The MLPA law itself would not be the problem if it were enforced as written. It’s supposed to cost the state $250,000 a year, not $25 million or more."

Paul, is there really something in the original law that limits the cost to this amount? Has there been legislation that overturned this 250K/year ceiling you refer to, and if not, did the members of the BRTF task force know about this limit. If so, I will volunteer to find a contingency fee lawyer willing to file suit against the members of the BRTF, personally, for pain and suffering, taking of our natural resources, etc.... Actually, we probably have a basis for a class action lawsuit if this is true. That should get the politician's notice. I'm not the litigious type, but if we can turn the bloody thirsty Larach types against the environmentalists, it would be true poetic justice and serve a higher purpose.

[dsafety]

I am far from being as well informed on all the details of this thing as Paul and a number of others, but several things jump out at me as significant potential weapons in our ongoing fight.

Top of the list is the cost. So there is the MLPA. On paper it's a good thing. Its implementation as envisioned by the BLTF is way over the top, however. Ignore for the moment that the closure locations were seldom based on any accepted science and that backroom deals purchased by special interests were the norm during this process. The net result is that the cost of putting this thing into effect far exceeds the resources of the agencies who will be tasked with enforcement. If a law is not enforced, is it a valid law? When was the last time you drove 55 mph on I-5?

Was the process corrupt. You bet. I am sure that just on that basis alone, implementation could be tied up in court for years. The cost of defending will have to be picked up by the State. Our State, the one that has no money to pay for our kids' education or keep dangerous criminals in prison. If someone takes this thing to court, maybe the powers that be will see the sensible side of things and just back away from the fight.

ADA issues were brought up by some speakers at the last BRTF meeting. The ADA is a very powerful law with some very powerful backers. The fact that many of the launch locations friendly to those with handicaps will soon be "verboten" might get some of the ADA activists into our camp. Maybe we should ask for their help.

My point is that since we appear to have failed to get a reasonable result by following the rules of the MLPA process, maybe it is time to switch to some other tactics.

Bob

[steveooo]

Excellent article Paul. It sickens me that they got what they did, but this article puts it all in perspective. Again, thank you for all of your hard work in the past year

[Holy Mackerel]

Thanks Paul, you really summed it up. I can't imagine holding my tongue for so long.

What else should we expect when private money funds public policy?

This is a lesson I learned from this process, doesnt matter who the private money is coming from, it can't be good.

[PAL]

Paul, is there really something in the original law that limits the cost to this amount?

The legislative analysis for the law, passed in 1999, indicated costs to the state of $250k / year. This was well before private funders insinuated themselves into the process.

[nunyabizness1]

Thanks Paul for all your work and for representing us throughout this entire process. It wasn't easy to hold back and watch all the efforts get tossed aside just to suit Meg's agenda. I don't understand how the others on the BRTF allowed her to use them as her puppets. It just isn't right! Something's gotta give here.

I can't believe that these people can sleep at night knowing what a detriment their decisions are going to cause this state. And for the teachers who gave extra credit to those students to show up and support Meg's agenda, these teachers are soon going to find out how that decision is going to further impact the state's budget cuts in education. The cuts are not over! The state of California cannot sustain any more debt! Meg got her degrees through a pretty high-end education process. Yet she has no problem hurting the state's budget and further impacting the future of our children's education with the decisions on these closures.

Ok, I came here to post a thank you and went off on a rant. Sorry for that. Yes, I do appreciate all you have done to make things right and I wish your efforts were better rewarded with the best options and decisions made by the BRTF for the good of all.

[kurt]

They dug in behind a plan that met the minimum SAT guidelines while minimizing the socio economic cost.

And that's a bad thing? Perhaps the plan would have been better if we hit more people in the pocketbook.

Luckily this public process wasn't paid for by a private interest, non-consumptive group or we'd really be screwed. Wait a sec...

[Matt]

ahhhh.......the ignore button is a wondeful thing......I agree with Mr. Holy Mackerel!!!... I may not always agree with everything, but I and many, many, many more will ALWAYS HAVE PAUL'S BACK 100%!!! Exactly whose side are you on Dryfly, BiggestT??



OH YEAH AND PAUL, MJ, TYLER,KURT, COREY, BRENT OF OEX, ANDY, JIM SAMMONS, MOYER, JOSH, HABANERO, MAGGIE AND THE BLOODYDECKS CREW, ALL THE SPEAROS, CHRIS, BILLY V., TMAN, CLAY, KIYO,JOHN,RON, TATTUNA and the BAYTUBERS Et. Al. and all the peopl who fought the MLPA thank you very, very, very, very much for staying and putting in all that you did and continue to do in this very lopsided and crooked fight!!! MUCH RESPECT TO YOU ALL

[FISHIONADO]

Originally Posted by Matt

OH YEAH AND PAUL, MJ, TYLER,KURT, COREY, BRENT OF OEX, ANDY, JIM SAMMONS, MOYER, JOSH, HABANERO, MAGGIE AND THE BLOODYDECKS CREW, ALL THE SPEAROS, CHRIS, BILLY V., TMAN, CLAY, KIYO,JOHN,RON, TATTUNA and the BAYTUBERS Et. Al. and all the peopl who fought the MLPA thank you very, very, very, very much for staying and putting in all that you did and continue to do in this very lopsided and crooked fight!!! MUCH RESPECT TO YOU ALL

I didn't make the cut, dang it!

Thanks Paul for giving us visibility into the process.

I was proud to stand with the small number kayakers and spearos who actually made a stand and made a difference. It felt like it was going to be a repeat of the Alamo but we did make a difference.

And to all you people who followed this issue but didn't show up or send emails or letters, thanks for nothing and shut the fuck up.

[Matt]

Dave your the et. al. and you totally make the cut brother (yes I know it is hard to believe that I even know what that means........I knew I'd forget peeps) so to those I didn't list...sorry but your in there too!!!!

[dsafety]

Who is this "Dry Fly" person and what is his, (or her), agenda? Anyone know this guy?

I have to agree with him that we will be fighting an uphill battle from here on, (not that it has ever been any different). Yes, we do not have the funding that the other side has. And then there is the problem of an apathetic public. On the other hand, I strongly believe that the issues I mentioned earlier could offer some chance of influencing the final outcome.

Who is going to pick up the ball and run with it?

Bob

[Tman]

I call BS - and I don't need no stinkin' pics...

Too many people have worked too hard to fight the battle, and to belittle the fight, or say they don't agree or get along with someone is BS.

Esp. when that someone has dedicated more than enough time, and their family sacrificed their time as well.

If it smells like shit it probably is...defend away...I know we will...

[robmandel]

DF,

as the CRU emails that got leaked we now know (I've known for a long!!! time) that global warming is a hoax. always was. they hard coded that hockey stick for shit's sake. in the 70's, the fear was global cooling, and the onset of the next ice age. it's all BS. never was about the environment. it's about money (of course, it always is!!) and government power. look, al gore went from being woth a few bucks to becoming a billionaire, pimping his pseduo-scientific drivel, and investing in all those "green" companies. a fool? hardly. a scary demagogue and despicable liar? absolutely.

look at the latest cap and trade legislation. it's not about the environment, it's about destroying our free-market economy. it's a means to nationalize and socialize the economy.

the mlpa was about everything other than the fishes and the environment. the packard foundation through the RLFF didn't throw 10's of millions into the thing to close off a few areas to help depleted stocks and restore fisheries so commercial catch could recover. they don't, and never did, give two shits about the fish. period.

first, the enviros are relgious fanatics. 'bout the only thing that separates them from alqaeda is a turban and a cave. they hate us, everything about us, what we do, who we are, and how we live our lives. that hate fishing, hunting, and everything associated with it.

now, as for our political naivete. I'll say this. we were in against some major guns, and I am proud to have fought alongside the guys here, and the other sites. we were outgunned and never ever had even the slightest chance. we gave 'em hell and did so because we had no other option. "working with them" wouldn't have been much different than the judenrat. we had only one option, and fight for our lives. and we did.

there is nothing we could have done to alter the outcome in any way. it was a star chamber. it was a show trial, and didn't even need a walter duranty. it was a preordained outcome and the public part was done to put on a show to act like they got public input.

DF, what you seem not to grasp, is that we had nothing to give. NOTHING. there was no middle ground, there was no compromise. if they did nothing, we STILL DID NOT WIN. how could we "win" when there was never anything for us to gain? if they did nothing, then all we'd have is exactly what we started off with. so, asking us to give as an act of compromise is specious.

we fought because wihtout fighitng, they'd have probably taken 10x as much. oh, they will, but not right now. they can act like they left us something, so when they come back later, they have something more to take.

this was an extreme act by a dictatorial government. after the nov. 9th meeting, I felt something for the first time in my life. I felt like the government had committed a grotesque crime against me and my friends here and elsewhere, and I could not believe that I would ever see my country do that to its citizens.

these closures will have no impact whatsoever on the fisheries, and even if they do, for what gain? for what purpose are they closing them? to protect and preserve for what? and especially when one considers that the species in those habitats are not even close to being in trouble. we have some of the healthiest fish stocks and the justification for this travesty is non-existent.

now, as for coming in late and criticizing us, I and many many others here spoke from the heart at those meetings. we got up and told them exactly what they were doing to us. to tell us that we took the wrong path is offensive. we wouldn't have ever bothered them people in any way, but they picked the fight with us. they came after us. they are stealing from us. we didn't hurt anyone, we didn't cause anyone to suffer in any way. and they are punishing us for nothing.

so, I will say that I stand alongside my friends here and elsewhere. I know I can count them as true friends, and if I was ever in a tough spot on the water, or anywhere, I know I could count on them. it was an honor for me to stand beside them, fight with them, and continue on the fight. when I heard Tman's son speak, I thought of my own son (who was in carlsbad with me) and the times I've spent with him on the water. and I was so moved by his courage, and thought, damn, we need more like him. alot more like him!!! that boy's a fighter, and I have the world of respect for him.

we did what we had to do. the process was a disgusting display of the arrogance of power, corrupt government, and a government at war with its people. we fought. you always fight tyrrany. you always fight for liberty.

and when they come back again, they'll know they have a fight on their hands. what angers me is that if you think of the thousands and thousands of people who fish the ocean, and the fight was carried on by a handful of us kayakers and spearos, I am so proud to have been a small part of that.

just imagine if 5-10% of the saltwater anglers had shown up. could you even imagine what the scene then would have looked like?? there'd have been thousands of fisherman. and it would have been intimidating. but they didn't show. why??? I wish I knew. they had to resort to busing in school kids. I almost threw up at that spectacle.

I'll say this: they can draw their lines on a map. they can shade them in blue and red, or shit brown for all I care. I will fish the ocean. they made their laws...

just remember the words of lenoidas...molon lave.

[Iceman]

Again Stay on course. Hijackers will be shot. One of our own is sharing his insight on where we have been in this process. Comment or ask questions, try not to wonder off. Respect and credibility is EARNED here.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by Iceman

Again Stay on course. Hijackers will be shot....

Thanks Again Andy. I'm still trying to figure out how I got dragged into a personal argument that I wanted nothing to do with and that had nothing to do with me.

Jim

[j mo]

Originally Posted by robmandel

DF,

just remember the words of lenoidas...molon lave.

Or "come and get them"

If you like quotes Rob, this one should fire you up too.

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."
-Elmer Davis

[DryFly]

Originally Posted by mwm

"The MLPA law itself would not be the problem if it were enforced as written. It’s supposed to cost the state $250,000 a year, not $25 million or more."

Paul, is there really something in the original law that limits the cost to this amount? Has there been legislation that overturned this 250K/year ceiling you refer to, and if not, did the members of the BRTF task force know about this limit. If so, I will volunteer to find a contingency fee lawyer willing to file suit against the members of the BRTF, personally, for pain and suffering, taking of our natural resources, etc.... Actually, we probably have a basis for a class action lawsuit if this is true. That should get the politician's notice. I'm not the litigious type, but if we can turn the bloody thirsty Larach types against the enviromaentalists, it would be true poetic justice and serve a higher purpose.

Sorry, but you've been completely mislead on this issue of a ceiling on the cost to implement the MLPA. The F&G Commission held a hearing on this very matter and the DFG admitted that the $250K figure was merely for 3 DFG personnel to draw up a master plan for implementation. The $250K estimate never contemplated enforcement and subsequent study of the MPAs. It is PSO that has latched onto this and completely misled the fishing public into believing that the original estimate to implement and monitor the entire thing was just $250K. You are being manipulated. No one else attributes any credibility to these claims, which explains why they've never gained any traction.

[lamb]

Great write up.

Thank you Paul for everything you do.