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FOLF 2007 News Archive
Here's a recap of 2007 FOLF News and Events:
November-December Events
November and December were packed with important actions and events:
- November 15, 2007: FOLF initiates legal action in the Superior Court for Santa Cruz County.
- November 16, 2007: City of Santa Cruz loses control of Lighthouse Field State Beach as the City/State operating agreement expires. State Parks takes over. Off-leash recreation is now against the rules at Lighthouse Field and Its Beach.
- November 19, 2007: Preliminary hearing in the FOLF legal case. State Parks commits to the court that virtually no off-leash citations will be issued until after March 15, 2008.
- Prior to the initial hearing, State Parks provided information about a previously undisclosed agreement in which the City lost its right to renew the park operating agreement with off-leash recreation.
- November 20, 2007: Council meets in closed session to consider negotiations to acquire Lighthouse Field State Beach and regain City control. Prior to the session, FOLF representatives address City Council to express deep concerns about the new information and to emphasize the community's heartfelt desire that Council conclude a deal to preserve off-leash recreation.
- November 22, 2007: Local press coverage of the newly disclosed information. FOLF publishes original documents and analysis. Numerous community members make their views known to City Council members.
- Early December: FOLF Board members met individually with every City Council member (except Rotkin and Porter who are not allowed to participate in Lighthouse Field deliberations because they own nearby property.) We wanted to gain a better understanding of where they stand and their views about past decisions and what needs to be done to move forward.
- Early December: Discussions continue between City and State officials regarding land transfer.
- December 14, 2007: FOLF Board members met with Assemblyman John Laird, who has been working to facilitate a City/State deal that would meet the needs of our community.
- December 20, 2007: FOLF Board members met with Mayor Ryan Coonerty to discuss ideas for closing the gap between the City and State.
- There were numerous on-going activities in connection with FOLF's legal action.
- FOLF compiled a record of problems occurring after only one month of State Parks management.
September 12, 2007
FOLF Presents Assemblyman John Laird
with "Top Dog" Award
In recognition of Assemblyman Laird's efforts to protect and preserve the community needs of Santa Cruz, Friends of Lighthouse Field was pleased to award State Assemblyman John Laird with the coveted "Top Dog" award. Assemblyman Laird's work with FOLF, the City of Santa Cruz and the State Parks is paving the way for continued off-leash recreation and preservation of this vibrant and responsible community. Also in attendance at the presentation were Santa Cruz City Mayor Emily Reilly, and California State Park Superintendent Dave Vincent.
Assemblyman John Laird receives the Top Dog Award from Matt Cocci of Friends of Lighthouse Field. On hand to congratulate John were Mayor Emily Reilly and Dave Vincent of California State Parks.
"John Laird listened intently when we discussed our concerns about degraded safety in the park and the neighborhood without the regular use of Lighthouse Field by the off leash recreation community, and the regular park clean-ups provided by FOLF," said Bob Campbell, board member of FOLF. "We also appreciate that he recognizes the overwelming community support for FOLF and our efforts to preserve our quality of life in Santa Cruz."
As reported recently in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, John Laird has created a way for the City of Santa Cruz to purchase Lighthouse Field and Its Beach from the State for a minimal cost spread over multiple years. We appreciate John's leadership on this issue. "We applaud Assemblyman Laird's focus on ensuring that this park represents the needs of our local community and his support of share use of our resources, "said Matt Cocchi board member of FOLF. "We look forward to working with the City Council and the State Parks to support this transfer."
August 4, 2007
Your efforts are making a big difference!
Thank you for your continued support!
The Friends of Lighthouse Field Walk-a-thon on August 4th had an enthusiastic turnout, and we made an outstanding start on the FOLF Legal Defense Fund. Contributions added up to over $8,000. THANK YOU!
FOLF efforts are having a huge impact - State and City officials are paying attention to us. We hope you saw the recent article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel) about John Laird's efforts to create a way for the City of Santa Cruz to purchase Lighthouse Field and Its Beach from the State for a minimal cost spread over multiple years. We appreciate John's leadership on this issue.
We are pleased with this positive development, but it's not a done deal. This is a critical time to continue to push our agenda with the City and the State to reach an agreement that preserves continued recreational access for people with off-leash dogs. FOLF must stay active, vocal and vigilant over the next 100 days.
Our strategy for the next 100 days will be to continue to draw attention to the significant negative impacts to the community, public safety, environment and quality of life if Lighthouse Field and Its Beach were not available for people with off-leash dogs. We believe that this continued effort will result in a negotiated solution to maintain our community and daily quality of life.
We have to work for the best possible outcome and we must be prepared to take legal action should November 15 come and no solution has been implemented. While continuing to work constructively with State and City officials, we'll also be meeting with our legal advisors to develop strategies for the possible scenarios we might encounter. We have to prepare our legal strategy starting now; waiting until November 15 would be too late. Thanks to the recent contributions to the legal defense fund we can begin this work in earnest.
Donations Still Needed
If you didn't have a chance to contribute at the Walk-a-thon, you can still donate on the web at http://www.folf.org/donate.php.
Our heartfelt thanks are due to the volunteers who put together the Walk-a-thon and other events, and all of you who show your support by letter writing, attending City Council meetings, turning out at FOLF events and so much more.
Finally, now more than ever we should let public officials know what you think. Call or write today! (See http://www.folf.org/write.php for names and addresses).
With your support and good will, we'll defend our community!
May 10, 2007
Over 200 Friends of Lighthouse Field (FOLF) members and supporters attended the May 10 FOLF Community Forum to discuss the future outlook for Lighthouse Field and Its Beach.
Panelists included:
- California State Assemblyman John Laird
- Santa Cruz Mayor Emily Reilly
- California State Parks District Superintendent Dave Vincent
- California Research Bureau Policy Analyst Lisa K. Foster
- Officer Todd Stosuy, Santa Cruz County Animal Services Field Supervisor
"We recognize that solutions will depend on active and cooperative support from the
State and the City of Santa Cruz, and we hope that the Forum will provide the
opportunity for both the State and City to discover common ground for the future
management of Lighthouse Field State Beach," said Betsy Firebaugh, Chairwoman of
Friends of Lighthouse Field. "Our community firmly believes that off-leash recreation
should continue to be part of the Lighthouse Field experience, and are entrusting the
future of this valuable community resource to our State and City officials."
The panel discussed various viewpoints regarding LFSB and the future
of our park. This event was recorded and is being aired on Community
TV (Comcast channel 25 and Charter 71).
March 27, 2007
A standing room only crowd was on hand at the March 27 city council meeting. Our message was loud and clear with more than 30 speakers and a room filled with supporters.
For those of you who couldn't make the meeting or were not able to view it on television, FOLFers were out in numbers after learning that the city council had unanimously agree to surrender Lighthouse Field and Its Beach for the next 20 or more years by handing its management over to the state parks system.
Betsy Firebaugh, FOLF Chair, presented 3 requests of the council:
1) We would like to request that the City Council pass a resolution opposing the loss of this community of responsible dog owners and recognize the impact on police services, safety in the park and neighborhood, and quality of life.
2) We would like the City Council to pass a motion directing the city staff work to negotiate an agreement with State Parks to enable the city to provide operating, administrative and policy management of Lighthouse Field and Its Beach.
3) We would like the City Council to request the Santa Cruz City Parks & Recreation provide a report of the actual cash savings that would be realized if the city were to no longer manage Lighthouse Field and Its Beach, not to include the bathrooms, any additional West Side properties and/or any additional administrative overhead costs. We are not talking about administrative costs that will be allocated to other projects.
Here's more of Betsy's presentation to the city:
"I'm here tonight representing the thousands of people who support the continuation of off-leash recreation at Lighthouse Field and Its Beach and the preservation of an important part of the Santa Cruz social fabric. Council recently announced a closed-meeting decision to surrender Lighthouse Field to the State bureaucrats. That outcome would destroy a vibrant and supportive community of interest.
We are expecting our City Council to be advocates for our quality of life, and were expecting you to ACT. You see some of the community tonight, but there are many more. I'll leave a copy of 1500 handwritten letters sent in the last few weeks to City and State officials, which should become part of the administrative record for this matter. We expect you to defend community values. "
Show our solidarity by requesting that the city take these steps and not let Lighthouse Field go under the management of the state and in the process, lose our off-leash privileges.
Click here for City Council contact information.
March 13, 2007
Today the Sentinel ran a front page story about the city handing Lighthouse Field back to the state. The San Jose paper also picked up the story. You can read both online:
Santa Cruz Sentinnel
San Jose Mercury News
February 10 - March, 2007
Thanks to everyone who showed up again to write letters and tell our city and state officials that we want to "Keep Our Park Local and our dogs off leash!"
Since February 10, FOLF supporters have sent more than 1,500 handwritten letters to city and state officials.
Keep Writing: They still don't get it!!
Our goal is to send over 2,000 handwritten letters to the city and state officials to educate them about the issues and to introduce them to you as real people with real concerns about your safety and quality of life.
We like to think that no responsible official could ignore this level of personalized public comment.
So, even if you've written before, write again! Your friends will thank you, and our dog buddies will thank you, too!
FOLF MILESTONES
Wondering what we've been up to? Have a look at the FOLF activities since November 2005. FOLF Milestones
Be a Volunteer!
You can help make future events a success by volunteering. Just email events@folf.org and let us know how you'd like to help. We can use some extra help at the upcoming April 7 forum -- please email and volunteer!
February 13, 2007
FOLF Delivers a Valentine to the City Council
 FOLF presented this giant Valentine to the City Council during their February 13 meeting. It was signed by the many people who participated in the Valentine letter writing day and included their concerns about losing their off-leash access along with Valentine wishes. See the Santa Cruz Sentinel coverage.
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