California Conservation Corps
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| California Conservation Corps | |
|---|---|
| CCC | |
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| Seal of the California Conservation Corps | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | July 7, 1976 |
| Headquarters | 1719 24th Street, Sacramento, California |
| Employees | 1,500 |
| Annual budget | $62 million (2007) |
| Agency executive | David Muraki, Director |
| Parent agency | California Resources Agency |
| Website | |
| http://www.ccc.ca.gov/ | |
The California Conservation Corps, or the CCC, is a department of the government of California, falling under the state cabinet-level California Resources Agency. The CCC is a work development program specifically for men and women between the ages of 18 to 25, offering work in environmental conservation, fire protection, land maintenance, and emergency response to natural disasters. Members of the CCC are referred to as "corpsmembers" or "corpies." Corpsmembers are paid minimum wage for their work.
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[edit] History
The bill to create the California Conservation Corps was co-authored by California State Senator Ruben Ayala.[1] The legislation was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on July 7, 1976, modeling the corps after the federal Civilian Conservation Corps that existed during the New Deal in the 1930s. Brown envisioned a department marketed specifically to the state's young people as "a combination Jesuit seminary, Israeli kibbutz, and Marine Corps boot camp."[2] The CCC replaced the California Ecology Corps that was created by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1971 as an "alternative service" option for Conscientious Objectors during the Vietnam War.
Following the end of his governorship, Brown's successor, Governor George Deukmejian, signed legislation to eliminate the CCC's sunset clause by making it a permanent department under the California Resources Agency in 1983
Since beginning operation in the late 1970s, the CCC has employed over 95,000 young male and female corpsmembers with 54 million hours of conservation work. 6,402 miles of trails throughout the state have been constructed and 3.2 million trees have been planted.
The duties of operation falling to the CCC include trail maintenance, riparian zone restoration, tree planting and exotic plant species removal, or construction and roadside maintenance in more urbanized regions. Other organizations pay the CCCto do the work. Benefits for "corpies" include vocational training in cooking, office work, chainsaw and vehicle maintenance and the opportunity to receive a high school diploma. Scholarships for higher education are also available through the number of work hours performed and community volunteerism made.
[edit] Recognition and budget cuts
The CCC has received praise from the United Nations Environment Programme, earning the international organization's medal for leadership in engaging youth in environmental projects.[3] The corps has also received awards from the U.S. Department of Energy. On a visit to Sacramento on October 4, 1988, President George H. W. Bush suggested that the CCC should be duplicated in other states.[4]
Despite high praise from federal and international institutions, since 1992, the California Department of Finance has continuously allotted less funding to the CCC, forcing the closure of numerous residential centers throughout the state.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Woo, Elaine (2012-01-07). "Ruben S. Ayala dies at 89; known as a maverick state senator". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/07/local/la-me-ruben-ayala-20120107. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ "CCC History". 2004. http://www.ccc.ca.gov/ABOUT/HISTORY/history.htm.
- ^ "Awards and Accolades". 2004. http://www.ccc.ca.gov/ABOUT/AWARDS/awards.htm.
- ^ "Awards and Accolades". 2004. http://www.ccc.ca.gov/ABOUT/AWARDS/awards.htm.
[edit] External links
- California Conservation Corps official website
- The California Conservation Corps State Museum
- Joe Hawkins's CCC Page Recollections of a Placer Fire Center member c. 1980-81
