Today is a great day for the Presidio. When the Presidio Trust legislation passed the House last year, it became the engine for the largest parks in bill in the last decade.
Today brings us to an important milestone in assuring a brilliant future for the Presidio. This innovative partnership will bring expertise and funding to the Presidio that will result in saving an incomparable historic and natural treasure. From Native Americans to the Spaniards, the Mexicans, the U.S. military and the National Park Service, each steward of the Presidio has cared for it, improved upon it and passed it on intact. The Presidio Trust legislation will provide us with the tools we need to protect and restore the Presidio for the future.
Today's victory is a victory for our community and for everyone who has yet to walk the Presidio's historic grounds, to marvel at its diverse past and to find solace in its incomparable beauty.
We were successful today because of the leadership of Representative George Miller (D-CA), the priority placed by the Clinton Administration to approve the bill, and the bipartisan support engendered by the merits of the Presidio Trust bill. I am confident that, with the leadership of Senators Boxer and Feinstein, we will achieve Senate approval next week.
