Save DBW – Second Notice

If you’re a boater in California, there should be two acronyms on your mind these days: DBW and RBOC. The first is the state’s Department of Boating and Waterways, which faces the most serious threat in its history. The second is the watchdog organization Recreational Boaters of California, which is leading the effort to save DBW.

Here’s the shorthand: If Governor Schwarzenegger has his way, DBW will go away. It will be absorbed into the Department of Parks and Recreation. And most of the good things it does — which are many — for our state’s marinas and waterways, will also go away because the money will be spent elsewhere. One great irony in this scenario is that eliminating DBW will not save the state a dime because it is entirely funded by boaters’ fuel tax (which you pay at the fuel dock), and boat licensing fees. The real itinerary seems to be that Parks and Rec is always in the red, and lawmakers have always been eager to raid DBW’s wallet to make up that deficit.

Bottom line: if DBW goes away, it would be a bad thing. We hope you will join us in telling the Governor and your local state Senator or Assemblyperson that DBW should remain autonomous. For bullet points to hit in your emails and letters, check out RBOC’s Call to Arms.