Next Steps in Legislative Strategy to Save Tesla Park

July 6, 2021

By Friends of Tesla Park 

For months there has been work behind the scenes at the Capitol to get language into the budget to preserve Tesla Park as one part of the legislative strategy. The leadership of the Legislature included a Tesla Park item in the preliminary budget passed on June 15, 2021. At the 11th hour, the Governor rejected the Tesla language and said he would line-item veto it if not removed. In the final budget, now passed and signed, the line item about Tesla Park preservation was stricken out. 

It is disappointing to know that presently the barrier to Tesla preservation is Governor Newsom himself. (Of note: while the Governor refused to protect Tesla, at the same time he did approve an additional $6.7 million to California State Vehicular Recreation Areas for ‘road construction’ over and above the usual budget allocation.) But we have more legislative options this session that are still active and need our support: 

Budget Trailer Bills

Our focus now is to get the Tesla language into the Natural Resources Budget Trailer Bill. While the timing is uncertain, we have to assume the bill could be taken up any time.

We need your help to contact the Governor, his administration, and legislative budget leaders and urge them to support the Tesla trailer bill language in the Natural Resources trailer bill. You can find talking points on the importance of including Tesla Park language in the budget bill in this joint letter to legislative leaders. You can send a message to Governor Newsom using this form and send a message to Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot using this form. It's especially crucial to contact the legislative leaders from the Bay Area while they're in district for summer recess. You can find their contact information below:

State Senator Nancy Skinner (District 09)
Chair, Joint Legislative Budget Committee    
1515 Clay Street, Suite 2202
Oakland, CA 94612
District Office Phone: (510) 286-1333        

Assemblymember Philip Ting (District 19)
Vice Chair, Joint Legislative Budget Committee
455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14600
San Francisco, CA 94102
District Office Phone: (415) 557-2312

State Senator Bob Wieckowski (District 10)   
Chair, Senate Budget Subcommittee 2    
39510 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite 280
Fremont, CA 94538
Phone: (510) 794-3900

Assembly Bill 1512

Update as of 7/9/21: AB 1512 was passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and now goes to Appropriations. Thank you Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Senator Steve Glazer, and all the organizations and people who stand in support of permanent protection of Tesla Park.

In addition to the trailer bill process, AB 1512 (Bauer-Kahan) is moving through the Senate, with a hearing on July 8th in the Committee on Natural Resources and Water (agenda here). Please help us get as many people as possible to attend the hearing in person, or call in to support AB 1512.

Make a brief statement in support of AB 1512. You can provide your testimony by telephone and only a brief statement with your name, city, organization if any, even if stated before (organization not required), and “I/in support AB 1512”).

The hearing will begin mid-morning but hte start time is not set; It will begin after the close of the floor session. So it is best to monitor the committee live stream to know when the hearing will start.

Call-in instructions for testimony: The call-in instructions for testimony can be found at the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee (SNRW) home page at https://sntr.senate.ca.gov/ and the July 8th hearing agenda https://sntr.senate.ca.gov/agenda. Follow the instructions on the SNRW Committee website.

Following is the call-in number and summary of the instructions for testimony:

  • Dial the phone number provided by the Chair of the committee at the time of the hearing or find the number posted on the committee website. Public comment will be accepted at the conclusion of each bill presentation.
  • Phone Number for Testimony: 877-692-8953 Access Code: 7056909 (as of 2:30 pm 7/7/21)
  • To watch the livestream of the proceeding visit: www.senate.ca.gov. To listen only, but not testify, for this hearing in Senate Committee Room 4203, please dial 1-888-251-2909 and use Access Code 7362832.

Teleconference Quick Tips:

  • Call the toll free number (listed above and on the committee web site home page) and enter the access code
  • You will enter the 'waiting room' where you can listen, but will be muted
  • Mute the device you are watching the hearing on
  • Listen to the hearing using the phone
  • When prompted for your position dial 1-0 (one time only)
  • An operator will eventually come on and give you a line number - Be patient as there may be a wait.
  • Once you receive your line number, you are now in the queue
  • Wait in the queue, the moderator will call your line number and unmute you
  • You are now ready to address the committee with your brief “Me Too” statement You generally can only make a brief “Me Too” statement with your name, organization(s) name(s) if any, and strong support for AB 1512.

Thank Supporters

If you have the opportunity, please thank the elected officials for their continued help and support to preserve Tesla Park. We need them to keep fighting. Senator Glazer and Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan have been great. Alameda County Supervisor Haubert, Senator Wieckowski, Senator Skinner, Assemblymember Ting, Livermore Mayor Woerner, the mayors of Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, and Danville, EBRPD, LARPD and ACRCD, and legislative leadership have also all stepped up.

Thank you for all you did last week to call the Governor – and thank you for your continued help as we move to the next stages over the summer. If you have insight on this process, please share.

Thank you for helping to save Tesla Park.

Read more, contact, and follow Friends of Tesla Park: 

Friends of Tesla Park is an alliance dedicated to establishing Tesla Park as non-motorized nature and cultural preserve.