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Round-up: Legislator comments on passage of water legislation

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 4, 2009 at 11:06 am

I’m going to collect these all here in this post, which I will update as they come in.

From the Office of the Governor:

“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement regarding the legislature’s passage of an historic package to reform and rebuild California’s water system:

“Water is the lifeblood of everything we do in California. Without clean, reliable water, we cannot build, we cannot farm, we cannot grow and we cannot prosper. That is why I am so proud that the legislature, Democrats and Republicans, came together and tackled one of the most complicated issues in our state’s history. This comprehensive water package is an historic achievement.

“I particularly want to applaud the leadership of Senate President Darrell Steinberg. He has been a tireless leader, a relentless advocate for the environment and a true statesman.”

On October 11, 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation calling for the legislature to meet in an extraordinary session to address California’s water crisis, urging the passage of legislation on the many issues facing the state’s water system which were ultimately addressed by the water package passed today.”

From Senator Dave Cogdill (posted earlier on Aquafornia):

“Senator Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto), who also serves as vice chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, today issued the following statement after the Legislature approved a comprehensive agreement to improve the state’s water supply and reliability. The package of bills approved today included Senate Bill X7 2, the Safe, Clean, Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, authored by Senator Cogdill. This legislation builds upon measures that Senator Cogdill has carried for more than three years to implement reforms to California’s water supply and delivery systems.

“Today’s historic agreement is the most significant step that the state has taken in decades to invest in its crumbling water infrastructure. Nothing is more important to the state’s economic prosperity than ensuring that we have water to meet California’s needs now and into the future. With this plan, we can improve the state’s water supply and protect the environment, without destroying our economy.

“This water agreement is especially critical for the Valley. In my district, agriculture is the number one job creator and the unemployment rate is higher than the state’s average largely due to this crisis. This comprehensive water plan will help reverse the tide that has forced farmers to fallow crops which has caused out-of-work laborers who once fed the world to stand in food lines.

“This agreement also delivers on the expectation that California taxpayers have for lawmakers to put aside partisan differences to achieve common sense solutions that benefit the entire state.”

From Senator Dennis Hollingsworth:

““After more than two years of negotiations, Senate Republicans have reached an agreement with the majority party that meets the water supply needs of California’s growing cities and farms. The agreement would implement a strategy that includes conservation, storage facilities, recycling, and Delta protection measures,” said Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth.

With hundreds of thousands of acres fallow and tens of thousands of unemployed farmers and farm workers, this comprehensive water package represents a step toward getting water flowing and helping people get back to work.”

California’s water system was last upgraded in 1960, for a population of 15.8 million. Currently 36 million individuals call California home and, according to the California Department of Finance, over 59 million individuals will live here by 2050.

In 2005, enough water to supply 13 million families for a year was lost to the sea because there was nowhere to store it. Securing storage capacity for water created by rainfall and snow melts has been a key point Republicans have pushed for in this comprehensive water legislation. Likewise, ensuring California’s enormously important agricultural industry gets the water it needs to feed our economy has been a critical point Republicans have sought to include.

“It is important that this water measure address not only environmental and individual needs, but that economic uses of water resources are factored into this water use plan. From a practical standpoint, increasing water storage is a no-brainer when the state faces such severe water shortages in the future and has lost such a significant amount of water due to inadequate storage capacity,” said Hollingsworth.”

From Senator Simitian:

“SACRAMENTO – The California State Legislature has approved a package of legislation which aims to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and ensure an adequate supply of water for California in the years ahead. A key element of the package is Senate Bill 1 (in the Seventh Extraordinary Session), authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto). Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D- Sacramento) is a joint author.

Senate Bill 7X 1 lays out a clear path for governance of the Delta, and establishes the two co-equal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring and enhancing the Delta ecosystem.

Simitian said that, “While there are many challenges facing the state’s water system, two in particular plague the Delta. Our systems of governance and water conveyance are undeniably broken,“ said Simitian.

Read more from Senator Simitian’s website by clicking here.

From Senator Bob Dutton:

“SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) supported a measure today that will expand California’s water capacity, which for years to come will help parched farmers and increase water flow to users throughout the state.

During a special session of the Legislature, Senator Dutton supported legislation that will put an $11 billion bond on the ballot in 2010. If approved by the voters, the measure would fund the first major expansion to the state’s aqueduct system since the 1960s.

“There is no reason for California to have a water crisis,” Senator Dutton said. “Jobs depend on a reliable water source. This bond will give California the ability to build more reservoirs and dams that will enable us to capture more fresh water before it reaches the ocean.

“It’s clear to me that the issue of water affects every aspect of our lives,” Senator Dutton continued. “Our insufficient aqueduct system, which provides most of the water to Southern California, is not only jeopardizing the quality of life for those of us who live here today, but is putting in jeopardy our ability attract the kind of businesses that provide the jobs that we desperately need.”

From Assemblymember Mariko Yamada:

“SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) issued the following statement today after voting ‘no’ on the entire extraordinary session water package:

“Early this morning, the Assembly voted on what has been called a historic agreement on California water policy and financing. Unfortunately, this agreement, negotiated in a ‘Big 5’ process behind closed-doors and involving a handful of non-Delta legislators, southern California water districts, and select environmental groups, fails to adequately protect the residents and economy of the area most affected—the Delta itself.

“I voted ‘NO’ on the whole bill package because of insufficient recognition of senior northern California and Delta water rights, imbalanced and non-elected representation in Delta governance, the lack of clear language explaining the interrelationships among a revamped Delta Protection Commission, the new Delta Stewardship Council and Delta Conservancy, and the remaining question as to what role a new Delta ‘Watermaster’ would play. This lack of clarity creates more confusion and less trust, at a time when we should be moving forward collaboratively to preserve northern California’s largest estuary.

“I understand the urgency of California water reform and do not doubt the sincerity of efforts to date. But change of this magnitude cannot be enacted based on a series of negotiations playing one group against the other while adding sweeteners to win support. Keeping Delta voices at bay and jamming a complicated set of water bills through the Legislature—including an $11 billion general obligation bond that will further bankrupt the State’s General Fund—is fiscally irresponsible and counterintuitive to solving California’s water problems.

“Californians and the Delta deserve better than this taped-together approach to water reform.””

From Assemblymember Fiona Ma:

“Sacramento – Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D- San Francisco) issued the following statement in response to the vote on historic water legislation.

“The historic water legislation we passed today provides hope for restoring the Delta, saving the Salmon, and protecting California’s world-class agriculture industry. While I represent a city that is fortunate to have a secure water supply, I know the rest of the state is not as lucky. Water is not a regional issue, it’s not North vs. South, Agriculture vs. Environmentalists, Republican vs. Democrat, people vs. fish – water is a human rights issue in the simplest form. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished today and proud that we are protecting California’s standing as the world’s 8th largest economy.”

From Senator Jeff Denham:

” “There’s no dam guarantee!”
– Senator Jeff Denham on why he voted against the water package

Excerpt from Dan Walters column, November 4, 2009:

The package utters sweeping declarations about achieving wonderful things and creates a new governmental infrastructure of non-elected officials who may, or may not, make those key decisions many years in the future, depending on who succeeds Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor and whom that next governor appoints to the interlocking new water agencies.

It also includes a big bond issue – how big was still being negotiated late Tuesday – to buy support from myriad water stakeholders with taxpayers’ money, regardless of whether any new water storage and conveyance facilities actually materialize.

Excerpt from Senate Bill 2 (7x), as passed November 4, 2009:

(b) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the sum of three billion dollars ($3,000,000,000) is hereby continuously appropriated from the fund, without regard to fiscal years, to the commission for public benefits associated with water storage projects that improve the operation of the state water system, are cost effective, and provide a net improvement in ecosystem and water quality conditions, in accordance with this chapter. Funds authorized for, or made available to, the commission pursuant to this chapter shall be available and expended only for the purposes provided in this chapter, and shall not be subject to appropriation or transfer by the Legislature or the Governor for any other purpose. (c) Projects shall be selected by the commission through a competitive public process that ranks potential projects based on the expected return for public investment as measured by the magnitude of the public benefits provided, pursuant to criteria established under this chapter.”

November 4, 2009 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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