We've just been alerted to this. We almost got blind-sided.

City government support can make or break our access to an area. Consider the fiasco with the Childrens Pool. Or the fate of Laguna fishermen in this MLPA round. In both cases, city endorsement allows the enviros to go to the legislature or the MLPA people to shut down access.

San Diego Coastkeepers, a group that is in support of closure of La Jolla and Point Loma, will try to get the San Diego City Council to support the MLPA. The city's endorsement WILL be influential with the MLPA people if they can get it. The timing is clearly designed to get the city's endorsement in time to influence the BRTF to close all of San Diego on Oct. 21st BRTF meeting.

Please show up to speak up against the broad MLPA closures pushed by the San Diego Coastkeepers. San Diego has a long history of fishing and has a huge economic stake in fishing and fishing-related businesses. This paints a bullseye on all fishermen and businesses related to fishing in our town. La Jolla, Point Loma, they will try to get the BRTF to shut it all down.

This is in our own backyard. Please show up. And bring your wife, husband, neighbors, and friends. This is super-critical.

Even if you are not a San Diego resident please write to the city council and let them know that this will impact the way you spend you tourist dollars in San Diego.

P.S. The Palos Verdes guys successfully went to Redondo Beach city council and got the city to speak out AGAINST the MLPA. So it can be done.

Call or email your San Diego Representative and ask them to fill out a Constituent tracking form. The appropriate email address can be found here

Tell them "you are a (US Citizen, swimmer, fishermen, surfer,.....) and the San Diego City Council should reject Coastkeeper's request for support for the MLPA..because of the enormous economic impact to San Diego city and county, and both the DFG and the legislature has said there is no budget for implementation and enforcement. In the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, San Diego citizens cannot afford to lose more jobs, the city cannot afford to lose more tax base, and the state cannot afford to enforce or monitor (as admitted by the DFG)."

The meeting information is as follows:

THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND CULTURE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009, AT 2:00 P.M.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE ROOM (12TH FLOOR),
CITY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
202 C STREET, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

ITEM-8: Presentation from San Diego Coastkeeper requesting SUPPORT FOR
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MARINE LIFE PROTECTION ACT