Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

00 ... Q.I ..c 8 Q.I ~ Z eron mo orcycles You We sent our reporter to Sacramento to meet the two major candidates for Governor of California in the Nov. 7 election. The current Governor did not respond to our invitation, but here's what current Attorney General Evelle J..Younger had to say about the way State Government would be if he is elected Governor. . 16 Fint of all, General Younger, do you prefer to be called by your formal title of "General" or do you prefer "Mister?" My friends call me Ev. Do you have any preliminary thoughts that you would like to express about motorcycles? Well , yes. I have ridden motorcycles and I think that-they're a lot of fun . I don't presently own a motorcycle , but I have a lot of people working in my office that do , and when I need one, I can always borrow one from them . What is your personal philosophy with respect to the classification of public lands as wilderness? For example, the. vast majority of offroad vehicle enthusiasts recognize the need for some areas to be classified as wilderness, However, in our opinion, there is too much wilderness, and this is impacting upon recreation as well as the economy. There is a need to pres erve wilderness areas sin ce th is country is still growing and developing, and wilderness is a limited commodity which must be protected. But there are forces in this country and in this state .that would stop all growth. and thi s is not possible or desirable. Natural resources can be managed and aTe being managed . Like fish and wildlife. wilderness areas can be included in a management program . Present-day laws require provrsron of access to buildings, structures, transportation, erc., for handicapped persons. Why should handicapped persons be denied access to the public lands as is happening in the case of wilderness cIassifications? Parks, as well as all public lands. should not be .exclusively for the ablebodied. Handicapped, aged . and even those with young families should be able to use them . As Attorney General, I have enforced the rights of handicapped people to equal treatment. and I would do so as Governor. What are your personal feelings about Regulatory Agencies going far beyond the original intent of legislation? One of the most serious problems America faces today is over-regulation . Some brakes must be put upon bureaucratic regulation . whether it takes the form of "su nset laws" or outright elim ination of agencies . Unless the great growth of regulatory agencies and the regulations they produce is stopped . there is real doubt that our present form of government can be maintained. What are you personal feelings with respect to vehicular recreation? Vehicular recreation is certainly no different than boating and aquatic sports or horseback riding. As long as safety is maintained and property rights are respected. it should be encouraged. If you are elected Governor, will the off-readers have access to you and your staff? As Attorney General , I have been available . to anyone who had legitimate problems to discuss . and I would continue the same policy as Governor. . If elected, will we be able to count on your support when we butt heads with Federal mandates? When legitimate state interests are threatened by federal regulation, I will represent the people of California as I have done in the past as Attoniey General. . What are your feelings with respect to "Big Brotherism?" Do you feel that government intervention in personal and private lives, under whatever guise, is warranted? It is not warranted except where absolutely necessary where the health and safety of citizens are concerned.; The Federal Government, through the Department of Transportation, . has been attempting to convince state governments and the public in general that mandatory headlight laws will make motorcycles more visible and thereby reduce motorcycle accidents. While this appean ' Iogica l on the surface: there is also strong supportive evidence of increased accidents as the results of "headlight on" laws. What is your opinion of this type of "Big Brotherism? . I Laws are not made by .the Governor; ' they are made by the legislature As Governor, I would have the right to approve or veto such laws. We now have a mandatory headlight law. effective with motorcycles manufactured and first offered for sale on January I , 1978. and thereafter. This law is not . retroactive, meaning that it does not apply to motorcycles that were manufactured prior to January I , 1978 . This law was enacted under the Brown Administration. If there is strong supportive evidence that mandatory headlight usage is a contributing factor to motorcycle accidents , "then legislation should be introduced to have the existing law repealed . If the arguments that were offered in support of the repeal were convincing enough to influence the legislature. then it would only be natural that the y should convince me, in which case I would approve the repeal. Further. as Governor, I would direct the Office of Traffic Safety to make an in -depth study to determine, impartially, the validity of the cla ims that the Federal Department of Transportation is making in this respect. Still on the subject of "Big Bretherism," I a m certain .that you are aware of the Federal Government's position on mandatory helmet laws for motorcyclists. Here again, the DOT is issuing misleading facts and data in the hope of convincing state governments and the general public that the wearing of a helmet will reduce the severity of acciden ts, While this again appears logical, there is again strong supportive evidence that helmets may be taking more lives than they are saving due to the nature of their construction. What is your opinion of this situation? . It is my understanding that the Federal Government has contracted with a major university to conduct a study of this entire matter. However, I have been led to believe that the study may be somewhat partial if for no other reason than it is being federallyfunded with the government setting the perameters. Here again . I would ask the Office of Traffic Safety to conduct an impartial study if, and only if, the people of this state felt that such a study was warranted. In 1974 , the California Office of Traffic Safety conducted such a study with the conclusion that . "There are no stable statistical trends to document that mandatory helmet legisla tion will redu ce th e number of motorcycle accident fatalit ies, the motorcyclist fatal ity to injury ra tio or the fatal accidents to 10,000 registered motorcycles ratio ." I am content with

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