LIVERMORE, CA (JULY 23)–Documents obtained by a Public Records Act (PRA) request appears to show an effort by some anti-access groups and their supporters to exert undue pressure on a government agency to oppose motorized recreation at a local OHV park.  The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), a national trail-based recreation group, filed a PRA with the East Bay Regional Park District on July 2, 2012.

BRC filed the request to obtain copies of any communications between the District and the Friends of Tesla, a local anti-access group founded by Celeste Garamendi to oppose OHV recreation on the Telsa property at Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area.

An initial review of the information shows Garamendi in a March 19, 2007 letter to a District Board Member informing her of the need for them to develop “outside” pressure to prevent motorized recreation on property purchased with non-general fund user-pay/user-benefit monies from the OHV Program at California State Parks.

Don Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, states, “It appears that environmental activists and East Bay Parks may have had inappropriate contact outside of the CEQA process to potentially impact responsible OHV recreation on designated routes at  Tesla.”

“It should come as no surprise that some of the same anti-OHV groups who sued to close the SVRA in 2009 are stakeholders in current efforts to ban or restrict OHV recreation at the Park.  Just as the court recently dismissed (with prejudice) their 2009 lawsuit,  I believe the public will reject the effort by green groups and their friends in state government to prevent lawful use by the OHV community of the Tesla property,” Amador continued.

BRC PRA Information
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/East_Bay_RPD_2007_CEQA_Concerns0001.pdf