The Governor’s deadline approaches for this year’s body of legislative work that made it to his desk. He has only a couple days left to wield his pen over a signature or a veto message on each of the bills…and word is that he may veto most or all of them unless he receives a solution to the water crisis.
I’ve long been an advocate for new water supply and storage in this state and I do appreciate that the Guv has kept it as one of his priorities. I share his frustration that the intractible nature of this debate has found us years later with no real solution. The closest we came to funding for new storage was in 2006 during the Big Bond debates on flood, schools, transportation, and housing. Bond proposals were flying all over the Capitol, ringing up to a total of $100 Billion at one time, scaring the heck out of taxpayers and financial advisors all over. However, Republicans and some Valley Dems vowed to make no deal on a ‘water bond’ that did not include real water storage.
Alas, as negotiations go, the half-Billion that was the main focus of the water bond was negotiated out of the deal, and voters were left with no new water storage option in any bonds. Dems were, much like today, hesitant to go against their enviro bosses with any dam project, instead shrouding themselves in the ‘fiscal responsibility’ argument against spending for new water storage. Many other bonds get pushed through, but why only on water does ‘who’s gonna pay for these bonds?’ come up in a debate that includes new bond debt!
Several bonds with the word ‘water’ in them have been passed the last 15 years, tricking voters into believing a more reliable water supply would come from them. Rather than increasing the supply, we got more studies, more commissions, more stalling, more habitat restoration for absent endangered species, more debt and more distrust for the next water bond proposal…you know, the ‘next bond’ that we ‘promise to really do new storage’ as had been promised by opponents. So in 2006, voters passed $42 Billion in new bonds, believing about $9B of it would do something to help with water. The clock is still ticking but it hasn’t happened.
This leads us to today and the current negotiations going on. After some last minute push at the end of the 2009 session to toss together a water bill, we still have no tangible action. Same for the end of the 2008 session, a few last minute hijinks to hash out a water bond before term limits caught up with some. Nothing good comes from hurried-up deals as budget results from the last couple years clearly demonstrate, especially when you are dealing in billions in bond debt. But this year, even Willie Brown knows that a political price will be paid by his Dems for inaction on the water crisis.
The outrageous, man-made drought caused by courts and inaction has brought national focus on the plight of farmers and all the jobs affiliated with ag in the San Joaquin Valley, with food–aid from China being brought in to assist jobless ag workers. Water is needed, and it’s available. Millions of acre feet wash out to the ocean that we could tap but current supply has been shifted, through court decision, away from human use to dedicated environmental uses over the past several years.
We either need more water supply or to start winning lawsuits against the enviro radicals. If just one judge can shut off pumps to 25 million Californians, it is very clear that we are all at great risk. We know we’re going to have to change Congress in order to make necessary changes in the courtroom. Shouldn’t we do something about the supply?
In times like this, we should focus on building assets that strengthen our ability to be productive. We must always demand every bond be efficient, but especially within the current fiscal state. It will be very difficult to advocate for any bond unless it is spent on infrastructure that truly helps our economy thrive, as new water would.
There is no justification for new debt that produces anything less than that. [Wouldn’t we love to have back the bond debt that goes for Stem Cell research, Affordable Housing, or High Cost, I mean High Speed Rail.] We certainly don’t need yet another set of poorly crafted late-night deals that reads more like an enviro group wish list than a solution to California’s water shortage. We need new, real water storage now. The Governor only has a couple more days to sign bills. Will he finally be sent a solution that holds water, or just another deal full of empty promises? The clock is ticking…..