Governor signs AB84

Sacramento, CA

Today Governor Schwarzeneggar signed into law Assembly Bill 84 (Leslie/Laird). This bill, sponsored by The Sierra Fund and endorsed by fifty-six environmental, community, labor and business organizations, creates a California specialty license plate program that the Sierra Nevada Conservancy can use to develop financial support for its activities.

“The license plates give all Californians an opportunity to support conservation activities in the “range of light” and to build a base for the new Conservancy,” declared Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin, CEO of The Sierra Fund and a registered lobbyist who played the lead role in getting this bill through the Assembly and the Senate.

“The importance of this license plate program to The Sierra Fund cannot be over stated,” she continued. “We look forward to working with the Conservancy to develop an effective marketing program to recruit 7,500 people to reserve their plate, thereby ensuring the success of this new program.”

The Sierra Fund hailed the roles of author Assemblyman Leslie co-author John Laird in moving this bill forward. Board President Patty Brissenden noted in a letter sent earlier to the Assemblymembers “Without your vision and political will, there would be no Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and no license plate bill. We thank you most sincerely for your efforts on behalf of the natural resources and people of the Sierra Nevada.”

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy will be considering direction to the Executive Officer relative to pursuing a Sierra Nevada License Plate under the provisions of AB 84 at their meeting next Thursday, October 5, 2006 in Bishop, California.