Railbanking Conflict: Coastal Conservancy Chair Bosco Used Taxpayer Monies to Fund Great Redwood Trail Project While Serving as CEO for Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company
As our former CA Congressman & The Press Democrat's lead investor, California Coastal Conservancy Chair Doug Bosco has doled out millions in grants for the railroad project
Per the California State Coastal Conservancy’s website:
Douglas H. Bosco was appointed to the State Coastal Conservancy by Governor Gray Davis in November 2003, and has served as its Chairman since November 2004. Mr. Bosco served as a Member of the United States House of Representatives (1982-1990), representing California’s First District, which stretches from Sonoma County to the Oregon border. A lifelong advocate of fishery and natural resource conservation, Mr. Bosco authored the California Wilderness Act, the Smith River National Recreation Area Act, the Klamath-Trinity River Restoration Act, the Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act and the Laguna de Santa Rosa National Wildlife Preserve Act. As a Member of the California Legislature (1978-82), Mr. Bosco authored a number of environmental measures, including the California Renewable Resources Investment Act. He is a past member of the California Industrial Welfare Commission, and sits on a number of charitable boards. He earned his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He practices law with the San Francisco firm, Hanson Bridgett. Mr. Bosco resides in Santa Rosa with his wife, Gayle, and two children, John and Cassie.
While serving as Chair for the Coastal Conservancy, Mr. Bosco detailed the following sources of most recent reportable financial interests on his Form 700s (statement of economic interest, or SEI):
Investments
Poppy Holdings - over $1M
Northwestern Pacific Railroad - over $1M
Income
Northwestern Pacific Railroad - partnership
Kenwood Investments #3 - partnership
Sierra Pacific Industries - attorney for forest products
Terra-Gen Development Co; LLC - attorney for wind, solar and battery projects
SEI’s
As referenced from a January 2024 article in The Press Democrat, Mr. Bosco is an investor in Sonoma Media Investments.
According to a statement of information submitted to the California Secretary of State on March 28, 2024, Mr. Bosco serves as the CEO for Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company.
On May 5, 2022, the California State Coastal Conservancy indicated the following in its meeting minutes:
GREAT REDWOOD TRAIL MASTERPLAN
Karyn Gear and Peter Jarausch of the Coastal Conservancy presented the Staff Recommendation.
Speaking in favor of the Staff Recommendation: Caryl Hart of The Great Redwood Trail Alliance.
Senator Mike McGuire made comments regarding this item at a later time in the agenda.
Resolution:
The State Coastal Conservancy hereby authorizes the Executive Officer to enter into a Joint Powers Agreement with the Great Redwood Trail Agency for the purposes of developing a master plan and community engagement program for the Great Redwood Trail, providing interim staffing services to the Great Redwood Trail Agency, and providing technical assistance to advance the Great Redwood Trail. The Conservancy further authorizes the disbursement of up to two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) for engineering and environmental services, planning and design, public outreach, organizational development, advancement of the railbanking process, and interim staffing and other services as may be required related to the Great Redwood Trail.
Findings:
Based on the accompanying staff recommendation and attached exhibits, the State Coastal Conservancy hereby finds that:
The proposed authorization is consistent with Chapter 9 of Division 21 of the Public Resources Code, regarding public access.
The proposed project is consistent with the current Conservancy Project Selection Criteria.
Moved and seconded. Motion was approved. Voting in favor: Notthoff, Brownsey, Cash, Alioto. Voting against: none. Recused: Chair Bosco.
Mr. Bosco recused himself due to the conflict of interest presented.
Per the Conservancy’s website:
For the last 25 years, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad has been unusable as a railroad due to catastrophic damage, erosion and maintenance issues. In 2018, the California State Legislature ordered an assessment of the rail corridor to determine feasibility of converting railroad into a regional rail trail. In 2021 with strong community support, the Great Redwood Trail Act was signed into law, enabling the conversion of the derelict railroad corridor into a stellar recreation resource and economic driver for Northern California communities.
The Great Redwood Trail Agency (“GRTA”) is the local agency established by the Great Redwood Trail Agency Act to develop and manage the Great Redwood Trail and discharge the duties of a rail common carrier before the Surface Transportation Board. The GRTA replaced the former North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) in 2022.
The GRTA service area is the former NCRA rail corridor in Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt Counties. The rail corridor in Sonoma and Marin Counties was transferred to Sonoma – Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), who will be responsible for rail-with-trail development for the Southern Segment of the Great Redwood Trail.
Railbanking is a method, established in the amended 1983 National Trails System Act, to preserve an out-of-service rail corridor through interim use as a trail. Railbanking has successfully preserved thousands of miles of rail corridors across the United States. The GRTA is mandated to undertake the process of railbanking the rail corridor with the Surface Transportation Board.
The Great Redwood Trail Master Plan & Community Engagement Plan began development in Fall 2022. Informed by robust community and tribal engagement plans, the master plan will serve as the guiding document for future development of the Great Redwood Trail. The plan will develop priority projects, design guidelines, cost estimates, economic impact assessments, and recommendations for co-benefit projects including natural resource restoration projects. The plan is anticipated to be completed in early 2024.
Minutes from the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Board of Directors Meeting for November 17, 2021 highlighted the following (see page 12):
Public records reveal that two Sonoma County businessmen — Darius Anderson and Doug Bosco — played central roles in the backdoor negotiations for the easement sales.
Who are they and why does this story matter? Darius Anderson is a real estate developer who owns Platinum Advisors, a powerful California lobbying and political consulting firm. He also owns the Press Democrat.
Records show that during the negotiations over the railway easement sales price, Anderson apparently leveraged Platinum Advisor’s position as a SMART lobbyist to, in effect, benefit the aforementioned Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company or NWP Co, which is controlled by another Press Democrat owner, former congressman Doug Bosco.
Records obtained by the North Bay Bohemian and Pacific Sun using the California Public Records Act reveal that SMART director Farhad Mansourian allowed Anderson to guide SMART’s participation in the Petaluma right of way deal, even though that task was outside of the scope of Platinum Advisor’s state lobbying contract with SMART. Mansourian also asked Anderson to lobby federal lawmakers, another task outside the scope of Platinum’s original contract.
During his five years representing SMART, Anderson’s firm lobbied for state and federal legislation involving the fate of Bosco’s private freight company. SMART paid Platinum Advisors $600,000 before the contract ended in February 2020.
On May 27, 2021, the Conservancy was tasked with approving the following resolution:
The State Coastal Conservancy hereby authorizes a grant not to exceed two million dollars ($2,000,000) to the County of Humboldt (“the grantee”) to prepare final designs and permits and construct the Humboldt Bay Trail South, a new approximately 4.25 mile stretch of the California Coastal Trail between the cities of Arcata and Eureka in Humboldt County.
The consent calendar was moved, seconded, and approved unanimously. Mr. Bosco did not recuse himself from the vote.
The Humboldt Bay Trail is a network of paved, multi-use paths connecting the communities around Humboldt Bay. The trail is a component of the regional Great Redwood Trail and the state-wide California Coastal Trail.
As the Great Redwood Trail Project moves full steam ahead, Mr. Bosco has continually failed to recuse himself from voting on multi-million dollar grant approvals.
On February 15, 2024, the Conservancy was tasked with approving the following resolution:
Resolution: The State Coastal Conservancy hereby authorizes the disbursement of up to two million nine hundred sixty-three thousand fifty dollars ($2,963,050) for engineering and environmental services, planning and design, public outreach, organizational development, advancement of the railbanking process, technical support, interim staffing support for the Great Redwood Trail Agency, and other costs and services as may be required related to the Great Redwood Trail.
Mr. Bosco voted to approve the $2,963,050 in funding.
According to a presentation from the Great Redwood Trail Agency, the Conservancy approved funding for the Alderpoint Depot to Emerald Waters Reserve connection on September 5, 2024.
Community Initiatives was awarded $207,600 to undertake the Alderpoint Great Redwood Trail Planning Project, Phase 1, consisting of tribal and community engagement, resource studies and surveys, trash removal, vegetation management, and conceptual designs for tribal/local interpretive features along a 4.5-mile segment of the trail and potential trailhead.
Mr. Bosco was present as Chair, but the September 5, 2024 minutes have not yet been published.
As Sonoma Media Investments refuses to publish coverage regarding the railbanking spectacle, should taxpayers be concerned? While The Press Democrat continues to publish hit pieces about me and label me as a ‘gadfly’, I will let you decide which media source you prefer for legitimate news.
“There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny - they should be setting the example of transparency.
-Edward Snowden