HR 32
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Date of Hearing: May 4, 2023
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
James Ramos, Chair
HR 32 (McKinnor) – As Introduced April 26, 2023
SUBJECT: Black Conservation Week.
SUMMARY: Declares the week starting on May 7, 2023, and the first full week of May of each
year, as Black Conservation Week to recognize the contributions and inclusion of Black
individuals to the conservation movement. Specifically, this resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1) The inequitable distribution of land, throughout American history, by multiple acts of
Congress, set a foundation for economic inequality among Black Americans that continues to
impact their participation in the environmental movement.
2) Black land loss, primarily the loss of agricultural lands, has resulted in Black farm owners
owning 4,700,000 acres of farmland in 2017, compared with 16,000,000 acres of land in
1910. This land loss helps to explain, at least partially, the distant relationship Black
Americans have with nature, as measured by national forest and national park visitation
statistics and economic participation.
3) Black Americans were substantially disadvantaged in their efforts to participate in land grant
programs because of citizenship requirements, though European immigrants did not face the
same challenges.
4) Non-reservation Native Americans also experienced difficulties securing land patents due to
the establishment of national forests in California without regard to indigenous settlement
patterns.
5) Black-owned outdoor leisure sites throughout the State of California were the recipients of
intimidation and discriminatory actions, including, but not limited to, Bruce’s Beach in the
City of Manhattan Beach, Inkwell Beach in the City of Santa Monica, and leisure sites in the
City of Lake Elsinore.
6) California’s 30x30 goal represents an opportunity to accelerate carbon sequestration, protect
biodiversity, conserve scenic landscapes, and empower underrepresented groups to carry out
this work as a form of redress for historic racial discrimination
7) Black Conservation Week is established to bring awareness to the importance of diverse
participation in the state’s climate goals, as landowners and economic participants, and to
highlight the ways in which conservation efforts can be made more inclusive and equitable
for all communities.
8) The Assembly is committed to facilitating deeper connections to nature among
underrepresented and historically oppressed groups by democratizing access to recreational
and economic opportunities in the outdoors
FISCAL EFFECT: None
 HR 32
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Michael Erke / RLS. / (916) 319-2800