We are requesting that the below language be added to AB 18 and SB 5 for purposes of preserving the Santa Margarita River Parkway forever. The community has served as the land stewards for that 1384 acres for at least 20 years. By having an Memorandum of Understanding with the Fallbrook Public Utility District, the District has allowed public access for riding, hiking and biking all these years. The Fallbrook Trails Council has had the MOU through a Non-Profit status for all this time, and has not only worked as volunteers to maintain the 18 miles of trails, but also raised all the funds through the Non-Profit to pay for all these projects.

This trail system in 1997 was rated one of the best in Southern California by Sunset Magazine, and in 2014 rated as #1 in the San Diego County trail system. The San Diego County Parks and Rec counts this as meeting their requirement of providing recreation to Fallbrook as an unincorporated area, and they provide no services or work. This recreational area is critical to Fallbrook and Southern California for two reasons, number one to supply a percentage of water to Fallbrook at a certain rate, and second, to meet the requirement of recreational area that in the rest of California is provided by Governmental entities through tax dollars. We also cater to at least 30,000 visitors from all over Southern California.

We need Assemblywoman Marie Waldron's support on getting this language that is in the initiative to be inserted in AB-18 and SB5 Any help she can get us through her contacts would be most appreciated. Our community understands finances, but we also understand that people need places to walk, be educated on the outdoors, and recreate to create an optimistic and healthy environment. Please tell us what else we would need to do to get the support we need to get this added to AB-18 and SB5. We want the language from “The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Natural Resource Protection and Park Improvement Act of 2018” Initiative (page 17) placed in both the AB 18 and SB 5.

Although the language may not yet be inserted, we can point to the existing language of the bond initiative:

Senate bill SB5, California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018; and

Assembly bill AB-18 California Clean Water, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018.

Language to be added to bills:Of the funds available pursuant to the subdivision, at least 15 million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be available for the river parkway projects along the Santa Margarita river in San Diego County.