CAMTB Blazes New Trail with the 2024 Candidate Questionnaire and Recreation Voter Guide

A first for CAMTB. A first for California

CAMTB was created to be a driving political force in legislation and elections. Lawmakers are critical to advancing legislation that supports cycling, trails, and public lands legislation, and we intend to get pro-recreation candidates elected and then keep them in office. To that end we’ve developed our first-ever Candidate Questionnaire and Recreation Voter Guide to help inform voters.

Why a C4?

At its founding, CAMTB pursued a 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit designation. This was an intentional decision set by the founding Board of Directors, as it helped define how, where, and why, and for what we advocate. This designation is distinct from our affiliated trail stewardship organizations which all maintain 501(c)(3) status. C4’s, like CAMTB, can actively engage in election activities such as candidate endorsements and fundraising. For a comparison of the C3’s vs C4’s permissible activities, check out this helpful guide by Bolder Advocacy.

Here’s an example. Proposition 4, a $10 billion climate bond made it to the ballot this year, thanks in part to lawmakers who recognized that the State lacked sufficient funding to advance its climate resilience goals. Perhaps most notable to those who recreate on parks and public lands is $700 million for park creation and recreation, as well as plenty of opportunity for recreation stakeholders to integrate recreation into wildfire, habitat restoration, and land conservation projects in the state. If approved by voters in November, this bond will represent the largest investment in conservation in our State’s history. As a C4, CAMTB can and is actively supporting the candidates who championed Prop 4, which our C3 sisters and brethren cannot do.

The 2024 Candidate Questionnaire and Recreation Voter Guide

To further our goals of identifying rec-friendly candidates. CAMTB contacted all the primary candidates in the State Assembly and State Senate races and provided the opportunity to answer five questions that demonstrate to voters their commitment to outdoor recreation, parks, trails, and the stewardship of public lands. The five questions included:

1. What are some of your favorite outdoor activities, and what benefit(s) do they provide to you?
   
2. What are the main points you want trail and recreation-minded voters to know about you and your candidacy?
   
3. The Outdoor Industry Association reported that in 2023 outdoor recreation in California represented over $73.8 billion in economic value or 2% of the state’s GDP and 568,000+ jobs.  At the same time, park and open space deferred maintenance backlogs in California are also growing – e.g. CA State Parks currently has a $1.2 billion backlog. Do you support expanded funding for multi-use trails and other recreation infrastructure? If so, please explain to voters how you intend to prioritize it if elected. 
   
4. CAMTB represents 35 nonprofit volunteer stewardship organizations that build and maintain multi-use trails on public land across the state for the benefit of many Californians. Bureaucratic hurdles and public agency capacity issues, however, hinder their potential and ability to do this important work. How might you support the reduction of bureaucratic and administrative impediments facing public agencies, including the California Dept. of Parks & Recreation, and support our members’ crucial on-the-ground stewardship and creation of shared recreational resources?
   
5. Modern sustainable trail design principles recognize that thoughtful planning and implementation can effectively preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources where we recreate, while also enhancing the user experience itself. Land Managers in California, however, are slow to adopt these new methodologies and subsequently train their staff in these new approaches. If elected, how would you help modernize our public agencies and influence their policy to support responsible recreation?

The results have been compiled in our 2024 Recreation Voter Guide, which you view HERE.

Don’t see a response from the candidates in your Senate and Assembly district?

Contact their campaign office, share the link to this page, and encourage them to complete the 2024 Candidate Questionnaire ASAP. Our voter guide will be updated weekly and shared with constituents like you.

For State Senate and State Assembly Primary Candidates

If you’ve yet to complete the questionnaire or are missing the link to it, contact our Elections Team at: elections2024@camtb.org.