Mark Leno at Marin Shore Clean-up

This morning, Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) joined with Marin volunteers to clean up China Camp State Park.

The event was organized to clear the shoreline of debris prior to oil from the Cosco Busan Oil Spill reaching the shoreline.

Cosco Busan Oil Spill Update

Sunday Moringing Update:
Oiled Wildlife Care Center has updated their website to report their facilities have received 372 live and 158 dead birds
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Here are some updates on situation:

• Crab season has been delayed indefinetly
• Oil has reached the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, our friends at the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association have action items.
• The San Francisco Chronicle has a Google Map of the situation
• Oiled Wildlife Care Center reports their facilities have received 94 live and 24 dead birds
• You can sign up for updates from Bay Keeper

And the Coast Guard announces:
Coast Guard Commandant Thad W. Allen will visit San Francisco tomorrow to review progress in cleanup efforts in the Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay.  He will tour affected areas, review progress of the cleanup and meet with local leaders.
The Coast Guard is the federal on-scene coordinator for cleanup of an oil spill that occurred when motor vessel Cosco Busan, a 900-foot container carrier, hit one of the towers of the San Francisco Bay Bridge Wednesday morning.  The Coast Guard is coordinating activities of 40 state, federal and local agencies in cleanup operations. To date, the following information has been reported:

• 11 skimmers are currently deployed on the water
• 10 wildlife recovery teams are on the beaches
• Over 9,500 gallons of fuel oil have been recovered to date
• Over 38,000 feet of boom has been placed around the area to soak up and corral the oil
• More than 450 people from 40 federal, state, local, and private agencies are involved with the response efforts, including 200 trained responders who arrived today to supplement the initial response team.
• 94 live, oiled birds are being rehabilitated
• There have been 28 confirmed deceased birds reported

The public is reminded that they should avoid areas and wildlife that are oiled, as untrained persons may cause further damage, while attempting to assist.
More to come.
UPDATE: Oiled Wildlife Care Center has updated their website to report their facilities have received 231 live and 65 dead birds
UPDATE II: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is organizing a volunteer opportunity at 9:30 AM Sunday

Email Sent

I want to update my friends as to the status of the Cosco Busan oil spill.  Earlier today, the Governor and I were briefed on the situation by the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Game, and other responding agencies at the Incident Command Center located at Fort Mason.  Immediately following this briefing, I received an aerial tour of our Bay and Pacific coastline with pollution experts to survey the impacts of the oil spill so far.  Sadly, the effects of the spill extend from Stinson Beach to Hunters Point and from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to Ocean Beach as of this afternoon.

I'm working hard to ensure the state provides all resources necessary in this crisis, andI know many of you want to do your part to help in the clean-up effort.  Here are a few things you can do.

Tomorrow, Saturday, November 10th, there are public informational briefingson the situation, including details as to how you can volunteer:

• Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA Tele: 415.974.4060. Class time: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

• Harbor Master Richmond Marina, 1340 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA94804 - Tele: 510.236.1013 Class time: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30

• Headlands Institute, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Building 1033, Sausalito, CA 94965 - Tele: 415.332.5771
  http://www.yni.org/hi/conference/location/index.php Class time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Additionally, here are some critical phone numbers:

• To report oil sightings: 985-781-0804

• To report oiled wildlife: 877-823-6926

• To submit a claim for oiled property: 888-850-8486

It is at times like these that those of us in the Bay Area pull together for our Bay. So, please listen to the Incident Command Center when they ask you to stay out of the water and off the beaches. I'll also be using my blog for further updates, please check back regularly:

-Mark

Public Classes Offered: Informational Sessions on Wildlife Care

From California Department of Fish and Game:

SAN FRANCISO - The Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), in cooperation with the Headlands Institute, the Harbor Master at Richmond Marina and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium will be offering informational classes on Nov. 10 to the public.

The two-hour classes, “Informational Sessions on Wildlife Care”, are designed to inform the public on the activities of OSPR, the Oiled Wildlife Network (OWCN) and the International Bird Rescue and Recovery Council (IBRRC) in response to wildlife impacts in the M/V Cosco Busan Incident.

Topics that will be covered in each of the three classes will be:

- What is OSPR and why was it formed
- How cleanup is conducted
- How are wildlife recovery and rehabilitation addressed
- How can the public get trained if they want to become more involved
- What areas and activities should the public avoid during the cleanup
- How can the public report wildlife impacts to trained response staff

The locations of the classes are as follows:

- Headlands Institute, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Building 1033, Sausalito, CA 94965 – Tele: 415.332.5771
http://www.yni.org/hi/conference/location/index.php Class time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

- Harbor Master Richmond Marina, 1340 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA
94804 – Tele: 510.236.1013 Class time: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

- Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA Tele: 415.974.4060. Class time: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The classes are designed not be a community forum for other questions surrounding this incident. It will only be an opportunity for the public to learn about wildlife care during an event and how the public may want to be more involved.

Mark Leno at Step It Up

On Saturday, Mark Leno spoke at the Step It Up rally in Santa Rosa

The Press Democrat was there:

With the one-year countdown finally on for national elections, environmental activists and local politicians rallied in Santa Rosa's Juilliard Park Saturday to push global climate change higher on the political agenda.

Organizers, including the local Climate Protection Campaign and the Sierra Club, attracted more than 100 people -- including a smattering of eco-conscious teenagers -- despite the lure of near perfect autumn weather and a downtown Fall Celebration complete with mini-train and chalk drawing just a few blocks away.

They settled for fresh fruit and power bars; live music from local youth bands; a bike race where slowness, not speed was the object; and a parade of speakers who called for more action -- both personal and political, local and global.

Find out how you can help at www.StepItUp.org

Some Pride Pictures

Leno is "Odds-on Favorite"

This is from long-time political strategist Steve Maviglio:

Actually, Leno's stock is high in Sacramento these days. In addition to winning accolades for a strong first year as chief of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, Leno has become the odds-on favorite to toss out State Sen. Carole Migden from her Senate seat.

You can help by joining the team.

ASSEMBLYMAN LENO RESPONDS TO GOVERNOR'S VETO OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL

SAN FRANCISCO , CA— Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) made the following statement in response to the Governor's veto of AB 43, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act:

"The Governor's veto of AB 43 once again puts him on the wrong side of one of the major civil rights issues of this generation. History will record that he turned his back on thousands of gay and lesbian citizens when we needed him to show leadership and honor our families and relationships.

A minority's equal rights should not and can not be a mere popularity contest, subject to the same kind of discriminatory inclinations that at another time in history have denied women, ethnic minorities and interracial couples their full equality. Some things are fundamental, like the freedom to marry the person you love.

I am proud to be a part of the California Legislature, a majority of whom voted for the second time to treat everyone as a first class citizen in this free society. There will come a day, not too far off, that all of California's citizens will be treated equally and fairly in the eyes of our government. Unfortunately, this will happen despite Governor Schwarzenegger."

Mark Leno on Air America discussing Industrial Hemp

You can Listen Here

Mark Leno on Flickr