HELP!!!
As you guys have heard, the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) Preliminary General Plan and Environmental Impact Report for the Tesla Expansion has been released for public comment.
This is the plan for continuation of operations for the existing area of Carnegie SVRA, along with a plan for the future development for OHV use of the Tesla expansion. Comments are now due June 29th.
There are vocal opponents us riding dirtbikes that want to take away our riding areas that we need everyone’s participation to stand up against.
Why: Carnegie's General Plan update was combined with an Environmental Impact Review for the Tesla Expansion. The Environmental Impact Review is the document that is most under attack, because the use of the existing Carnegie footprint remains the same.
The Environmental Impact Review in this case is an overview - it is general in nature because it is not site specific. That allows the state the most flexibility for future plans, but also brings up the most questions because of its generality. For example - specifics regarding future trails in the expansion area in regards to endangered and threatened species will only be completely analyzed when future site-specific analyses undertaken. This has been the area where the opponents have gained the most political traction and have attacked the EIR by showing the worst possible conditions existing currently at Carnegie.
This General Plan and Environmental Impact Review WILL NOT avoid future legal challenges. They are CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) documents, which almost guarantees that they will be challenged in court. Anything and everything in the document is open to legal challenge by opponents who have legal standing, i.e. have been involved in the process from the beginning and filed substantive comments. In most cases whether the opponents win or lose, their court costs are paid by the state. If they lose, only a portion of the costs are reimbursed; but if they prevail on any portion of the lawsuit their costs will be paid by the court. This money will come out of the budget of the OHV Division.
Who:
US: Everyone needs to be involved with this process. The state is receiving a lot of very critical and substantive comments from opponents to the plan.
CORVA, Cal4, AMA, BRC and Carnegie Forever will write substantive comments - that makes 4 -5 substantive comments. There are hundreds of us riders that could contribute hundreds more.
THEM: Friends of Tesla, Native Plant Society, Sierra Club, Native American groups, PEER, Karen Schaumbach, and a whole long list. Celeste Garamendi and Mark Connolly own the ranch adjacent to Carnegie and have been complaining about operations at Carnegie for years. Mark Connolly is an attorney himself, and affiliated environmental organizations have ample access to legal advice - that probally makes 50 substantive comments.
WHEN:
May 18th: The Livermore City Council meeting is tricky - the people who need to show up and speak at the City Council meeting must be Livermore residents. The City Council members are accountable only to their residents. There is no room for frustration or anger - and anyone who lives outside of Livermore should not speak. Showing up for support is okay, but please let the local residents take center stage.
May 31st: Comments Project
June 29th: Comments are due.
WHERE: CORVA is holding a Comments Project workshop on May 31st, at the La Quinta Inn Livermore. It will be an event, and everyone will leave the day with at least an outline written, if not their comments finished! They will be taking pictures of people and writing down their experiences with Carnegie to create a binder that can be given to politicians, Commissions and City Councils. This will be the opportunity for all the passion people have for Carnegie, and their stories about Carnegie, to be presented in a very meaningful manner. To counter the pictures of flora and fauna the opponents give out at every opportunity, we can showcase our best asset - our families, children and everyone who has had a positive meaningful experience at Carnegie.
The opponents are working with attorneys and will easily submit at least 50 -100 substantive comments. They will come from every environmental group possible. These people know how to pick apart a plan to set the stage for future legal action.
The opponents have advice from CEQA legal experts - now, so do we! Everyone is welcome; we will have music, balloons for the kids, and we're open to any other ideas.
We need everyone’s help with this. The stakes are big and we welcome everyone to work with us and walk figuratively together side by side to benefit the entire OHV community.
Please save the date. More to follow.
As you guys have heard, the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) Preliminary General Plan and Environmental Impact Report for the Tesla Expansion has been released for public comment.
This is the plan for continuation of operations for the existing area of Carnegie SVRA, along with a plan for the future development for OHV use of the Tesla expansion. Comments are now due June 29th.
There are vocal opponents us riding dirtbikes that want to take away our riding areas that we need everyone’s participation to stand up against.
Why: Carnegie's General Plan update was combined with an Environmental Impact Review for the Tesla Expansion. The Environmental Impact Review is the document that is most under attack, because the use of the existing Carnegie footprint remains the same.
The Environmental Impact Review in this case is an overview - it is general in nature because it is not site specific. That allows the state the most flexibility for future plans, but also brings up the most questions because of its generality. For example - specifics regarding future trails in the expansion area in regards to endangered and threatened species will only be completely analyzed when future site-specific analyses undertaken. This has been the area where the opponents have gained the most political traction and have attacked the EIR by showing the worst possible conditions existing currently at Carnegie.
This General Plan and Environmental Impact Review WILL NOT avoid future legal challenges. They are CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) documents, which almost guarantees that they will be challenged in court. Anything and everything in the document is open to legal challenge by opponents who have legal standing, i.e. have been involved in the process from the beginning and filed substantive comments. In most cases whether the opponents win or lose, their court costs are paid by the state. If they lose, only a portion of the costs are reimbursed; but if they prevail on any portion of the lawsuit their costs will be paid by the court. This money will come out of the budget of the OHV Division.
Who:
US: Everyone needs to be involved with this process. The state is receiving a lot of very critical and substantive comments from opponents to the plan.
CORVA, Cal4, AMA, BRC and Carnegie Forever will write substantive comments - that makes 4 -5 substantive comments. There are hundreds of us riders that could contribute hundreds more.
THEM: Friends of Tesla, Native Plant Society, Sierra Club, Native American groups, PEER, Karen Schaumbach, and a whole long list. Celeste Garamendi and Mark Connolly own the ranch adjacent to Carnegie and have been complaining about operations at Carnegie for years. Mark Connolly is an attorney himself, and affiliated environmental organizations have ample access to legal advice - that probally makes 50 substantive comments.
WHEN:
May 18th: The Livermore City Council meeting is tricky - the people who need to show up and speak at the City Council meeting must be Livermore residents. The City Council members are accountable only to their residents. There is no room for frustration or anger - and anyone who lives outside of Livermore should not speak. Showing up for support is okay, but please let the local residents take center stage.
May 31st: Comments Project
June 29th: Comments are due.
WHERE: CORVA is holding a Comments Project workshop on May 31st, at the La Quinta Inn Livermore. It will be an event, and everyone will leave the day with at least an outline written, if not their comments finished! They will be taking pictures of people and writing down their experiences with Carnegie to create a binder that can be given to politicians, Commissions and City Councils. This will be the opportunity for all the passion people have for Carnegie, and their stories about Carnegie, to be presented in a very meaningful manner. To counter the pictures of flora and fauna the opponents give out at every opportunity, we can showcase our best asset - our families, children and everyone who has had a positive meaningful experience at Carnegie.
The opponents are working with attorneys and will easily submit at least 50 -100 substantive comments. They will come from every environmental group possible. These people know how to pick apart a plan to set the stage for future legal action.
The opponents have advice from CEQA legal experts - now, so do we! Everyone is welcome; we will have music, balloons for the kids, and we're open to any other ideas.
We need everyone’s help with this. The stakes are big and we welcome everyone to work with us and walk figuratively together side by side to benefit the entire OHV community.
Please save the date. More to follow.
Last edited:
