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In any case, column follows: MH Times Headline: A Sprinkling of Truth.
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The more I learn about the water problems in California, the more
convinced I am that there are many who would like to keep the public in
just that state.. feeling like we don't know enough and so we just go
along. It is time that this attitude changes, because what you hear is
rarely much more than a sprinkling of truth on a plate full of
intellectual mush. Let me give you three example.
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<b>Man vs. Fish</b>: Television coverage of California's water crisis,
when it does touch on agriculture, almost always poses this as the poor
hard working farmers against the environmental lobby who would protect
a little fish. Such a gross simplification of the issues is intended to
lead you to make a quick, easy decision to support the farmers.
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What they never mention is that there are only 600 farms in the the
area most affected by the drought and that these farms have the most
junior of water rights. Still, the Westlands Water District is the
largest district in the country with over 600,000 acres cultivated in
approximately 1,000 sq. mi. That is close to the size if Rhode Island.
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The Westlands spokespersons are careful not to talk about the role of
the delta smelt near the bottom of the aquatic food chain. They are
food fish for larger species including salmon. When you lose the major
food for larger species, it is the fishing industries, both sport and
commercial, who will have to deal with the result and neither of these
are in good shape now.
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<b>The Call for Unity</b>: Writing in the Contra Costa Times, Jim
Wunderman and Carl Guardino, the leaders of the Bay Area Council and
the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, made the point that “When a region
doesn't speak with a clear voice on an issue as important as water, the
region risks having no voice at all.” Unfortunately, Guardino's voice
is not one that represent me or my citizen interests.
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Their concern is really water rights and whether they will be impacted
to manage the Delta Ecosystem. The current sum of all water rights is
already greater than the water available, even in a good rainfall year.
They talk of climate change and population growth, but make the
question of adjusting water rights into a complicated legal process
that only those with deep pockets can afford to follow.
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<b>Public input from the powerful</b>: Finally, I could sense that the
Legislature was about to deliver a sham when Senate President ProTem
Steinberg used so much of his committee time to explain (for the
press?) just how much public input they had gotten, how many hearings
had been held, how much testimony had been given. He failed to mention
that the process shut out those most affected, the residents of the
Delta, those whose livelihood is tied to a healthy fishing ecology, the
tribal organization whose treaty rights to fish, to water or to land
have all been taken in the name of progress. All of these groups had to
fight to have any chance to offer testimony and then they were ignored.
That was not the case for the Westlands Water District or other major
users.
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Perhaps the best thing that the legislature did was to separate
legislation regarding governance from the controversial question of
building new dams and water conveyances. It gives hope that some of it
may turn out to be rational.
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The proposed bond is radically different from other water bonds in the
past. Previous measures provided for the costs of environmental
mitigation to be carried by the beneficiaries. In other words, those
who get the water, pay for it. In this proposed legislation, those
costs would be paid for out of the bond funds. This passes the cost
from the beneficiaries to the tax payer.
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As I write this, the legislation is supposed to go to the floor on
Monday. That means that by the time you read this, the bill may have
passed. I have taken stands against this bill and the companion bond
measure I was concerned about the fact that they had created a
organizational structure, but made no provision for funding it.
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I hope that there is still time to force amendments to these bills that
will make them workable. I fear that we will have to live with another
faux solution for another decade or so before someone admits they made
a mistake.
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="80">--
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente
Wes Rolley
17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.refpub.com/">http://www.refpub.com/</a> -- Tel: 408.778.3024</pre>
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