STAFF REPORT SUBJECT: Assembly Concurrent Resolution 58 MEETING DATE: May 21, 2015 AGENDA ITEM: 7F STAFF CONTACT: Kent Epperson RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the chair to send a letter supporting ACR 58 (Williams) designating the Ralph Fertig Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and Peter Douglas Coastal Access Way. SUMMARY: On July 18, 2014, Ralph Fertig, a long time bike advocate and president of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition for over 20 years, passed away. On April 21, 2012, Peter Douglas, the California Coastal Commission s longest-serving executive director, passed away. In order to acknowledge Ralph Fertig and Peter Douglas contributions to improved bicycle and pedestrian access and the community at large, Assemblymember Das Williams has introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 58 that memorializes the new 4-mile class I bike path along Highway 101 as the Ralph Fertig Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and the La Conchita Hwy 101 pedestrian undercrossing as the Peter Douglas Coastal Access Way. Both of these bicycle pedestrian facilities were completed on September 29, 2014 as part of the 101 HOV project. Assemblymember Das Williams is assembling letters of support for ACR 58 and has requested a letter of support from the SBCAG Board. The South Coast Subregional Planning committee voted to recommend that the board authorize a letter of support for ACR 58 at its May 6 th meeting. DISCUSSION: September 29, 2014 marked the completion of a 4-mile class I bike path along Hwy 101 from Rincon to Mussel Shoals and a Highway 101 pedestrian undercrossing from La Conchita to the beach as part of the Phase II 101 HOV project. Both of these facilities are regionally significant and will provide pedestrian and bicycle coastal access to thousands of residents and tourists for years to come. Two individuals that recently passed away played important roles in insuring that these two pedestrian and bicycle facilities were included in the Hwy 101 HOV project. Ralph Fertig, long time bike advocate and previous president of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, and Peter Douglas, the California Coastal Commission s longest-serving executive director and author of the California Coastal Act. Ralph Fertig was a consummate Santa Barbara County citizen engaged in the transportation planning process, bringing technical knowledge, integrity and tenacity to the public process. Ralph Fertig had a hand in shaping nearly every bicycle project planned or built in the South
Coast over the past 20 years including the Hwy 101 Bikeway between Rincon and Mussel Shoals. Ralph was a strong voice in advocating the 101 HOV project include a fully separated class I bikeway located along the coast side of Hwy 101. The new 4-mile class I facility, completed on September 29, 2014 is part of the 1,852 mile Pacific Coast Bike Route that spans the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to the Mexican/US border. The Pacific Coast Bike Route is a world-renowned bicycle tourist destination that also serves as local bicycle and pedestrian access through hundreds of communities along the Pacific Coast. The new bikeway symbolizes all that Ralph Fertig stood for - safe, well designed bicycle facilities that connect communities and help attract bicycle tourists from around the world. Peter Douglas was the California Coastal Commission s longest-serving executive director, a position he held from 1985 to 2011. Peter Douglas supported the La Conchita pedestrian undercrossing that now provides critical coastal access under Hwy 101. This facility symbolizes what Peter Douglas dedicated much of his life to - protecting, conserving, restoring, and increasing access to the California coast for use by current and future generations. Assemblymember Das Williams has introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 58 (Attachment A) that memorializes the new 4-mile class I bike path along Highway 101 as the Ralph Fertig Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and the La Conchita 101 pedestrian undercrossing as the Peter Douglas Coastal Access Way. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing each of these special designations and, upon receiving donations from non-state sources covering the cost of the signs for which the donations were made, to erect those signs. Assemblymember Williams is assembling letters of support (Attachment B) from several community organizations and each of the stakeholders of the 101 HOV project, including SBCAG. To date, ACR 58 has been received favorably by Caltrans and several Ventura and Santa Barbara bike clubs and advocacy organizations. Committee Review: The South Coast Subregional Planning committee voted unanimously at its May 6 th meeting to recommend that the board chair be authorized to sign a letter of support for ACR 58.. Attachments: ACR 58 and Letter of Support
Attachment A ACR-58 Ralph Fertig Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and the Peter Douglas Coastal Access Way (2015-2016) CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 2015 2016 REGULAR SESSION ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 58 Introduced by Assembly Member Williams April 22, 2015 WHEREAS, Ralph Fertig, a longtime bicycle advocate in Santa Barbara of such consistency, durability, and selflessness that his presence achieved an almost geologic aspect, passed away on July 18, 2014; and WHEREAS, Ralph Fertig, a lynch-pin of bicycle activism in the Santa Barbara area and statewide, raised the profile of bicycling in Santa Barbara and was responsible for bringing the 1998 ProBike conference to Santa Barbara; and WHEREAS, Ralph Fertig also served as the Regional Director of the California Association of Bicycling Organization (CABO) for the Central Coast for many years; and WHEREAS, Quiet, unassuming, and absolutely dogged, Ralph Fertig made it his mission for more than 20 years to attend every transportation planning meeting to bear witness to the need for more space on the roads for bicycles; and WHEREAS, To an uncommon extent, Ralph Fertig understood the complicated anatomy of transportation funding; he knew where the money was hidden, what it had been set aside for, and far better than most, he understood the rules and regulations guiding the expenditure of those funds; and WHEREAS, Ralph Fertig was respectful, positive, and persistent and was the first local bicycle advocate to consistently assess and provide public comment on the needs of the bicycling community; and WHEREAS, Peter Douglas, the former Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission, passed away during the night on Sunday, April 1, 2012, at his sister s home in La Quinta, California at 69 years of age after a long battle with cancer; and WHEREAS, Peter Douglas was the commission s longest-serving executive director, a position he held from 1985 to 2011, inclusive. Prior to working for the commission, he served in the Legislature as an aide to then-assembly Member Alan Siertoy (D-Beverly Hills), and as a committee consultant. During that time he was responsible for the drafting and passage of Proposition 20 (the Coastal Initiative) in 1972, as well as the California Coastal Act of 1976 which created the California Coastal Commission; and
WHEREAS, Over the decades, Peter Douglas name has become synonymous with coastal protection. His accomplishments are too numerous to list, but he played a part in creating, acquiring, or preserving many coastal parks and state beaches, campgrounds, trails, and overnight hostels, including Crystal Cove, Garrapata, Tollowa Dunes, Steep Ravine and Sea West State Parks, San Onofre and Doheney Beach State Campgrounds, the Monterey Bay Recreational Trail, the Avila Lighthouse Trail, the Point Buchon Trail, and many others; and WHEREAS, Peter Douglas also worked to protect California s ocean waters from offshore oil development and other industrial practices. During his 34-year tenure at the commission, Peter Douglas earned the love, respect, and loyalty of his staff, and inspired environmental advocates and stewards statewide and beyond. He will be forever remembered for his kind heart and unpredictable sense of humor; and WHEREAS, Peter Douglas was the first recipient of the national Julius A. Stratton Champion of the Coast award for leadership in coastal management at Coastal Zone 95, an international, biennial symposium on coastal zone management. He provided technical assistance on coastal management issues to other countries and served on the China-United States panel on integrated coastal management and was a member of the first National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Advisory Board and served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science and Policy for the Coastal Ocean; and WHEREAS, In 2008, the Department of Transportation approached the California Coastal Commission with a plan to improve State Highway Route 101 in the Counties of Ventura and Santa Barbara. This ambitious proposal involved adding a carpool lane, bicycle lane, and a pedestrian undercrossing, and other safety and access improvements. Peter Douglas suggested changes to the project that involved a major redesign and, when all was said and done, the department proceeded with his suggestions; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the bicycle-pedestrian path (Class 1 Bicycle path) constructed as part of the project to widen State Highway Route 101 (US 101 Carpool Lane Improvement Project), from Mobil Pier Road to Bates Road in the County of Ventura, as the Ralph Fertig Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the pedestrian undercrossing of State Highway Route 101 in the community of La Conchita in the County of Ventura as the Peter Douglas Coastal Access Way; and be it further Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing each of these special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost of the signs for which the donations were made, to erect those signs; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.
Attachment B May 21, 2015 The Honorable Das Williams Chair, Assembly Natural Resources Committee State Capitol, Room 4005 Sacramento, CA 95814 Re: ACR 58 (Williams) Ralph Fertig Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and the Peter Douglas Coastal Access Way. Position: Support Dear Assemblymember Williams: I am pleased to inform you that the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) strongly supports ACR 58, which would name the recently constructed Class I bicycle-pedestrian path at the Santa Barbara and Ventura County line after local bicycle advocate Ralph Fertig, and the La Conchita Coastal Access Way after Peter Douglas, the former Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission. SBCAG was a major partner for the construction of these facilities as part of the US 101 Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties Carpool Lane Project. Ralph Fertig was a tireless Central Coast advocate for bicycling improvements and smart transportation planning, often appearing at public comment before any local decision making body addressing these topics. Peter Douglas, served as the Executive Director for the California Coastal Commission for over 25 years. He was instrumental in expanding coastal access to California residents, and advocated for improvements in the Highway 101 corridor that resulted in construction of a world-class beachside bicycle-pedestrian path. We believe this naming resolution is an excellent way to honor the lives of these two exceptional individuals, and for these reasons SBCAG strongly supports ACR 58. If you have any questions, please contact Kent Epperson at 805-895-6589. Sincerely, Jim Richardson SBCAG Board Chairman