Restore the Delta staff members have been busy
attending Conference Committee meetings on water
policy and the five bill package reshaping the future of
the Delta this last week. The end result: the
Conference Committee failed to meet its own
deadline yesterday. The Conference Committee
report might be published later on today.
This, however, has not slowed down Senate
President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg who political
insiders say is trying to push through a last minute
water bill that will have elements from the previous
bills and a new water bond. It is our understanding
that Senate President Steinberg will introduce the bill
on the floor this week to be voted on at the last minute
without public vetting. The bill will require a 2/3 vote
so that a referendum cannot be set into motion by the
public.
Here's what we need each and every one of you to do.
Call your State Senate and Assembly
representatives and let them know that they must not
only vote against Steinberg's water bill, but they need
to tell their colleagues to do the same. Also, call
Senate President pro Tempore Steinberg and let him
know what you think of policy legislation that is being
written in the middle of the night without input from the
Delta farming and fishing communities. Let him know
what you think of a new water bond at a time when the
state is billions of dollars in debt and education is
being gutted. He can be reached at 916-651-
4006.
To say that Restore the Delta is exasperated by the
events of the last two weeks is an understatement.
Through the Conference Committee process it
became apparent that not only were our expert Delta
legislators, like Senator Lois Wolk (5th Senate
District), shut out of the process, but that testimony
committees were stacked with "experts" from outside
the Delta, and that testimony from in-Delta interests
was being ignored by the Conference Committee.
Even more disturbing was a point during Monday's
hearing when some Delta advocates were actually
taken to task by Senator Flores and Senate President
Steinberg for calling into question the behind-the-
scenes negotiations process. Never mind that
representatives from the Westlands Water District and
the Metropolitan Water District were busy working a
deal with Senator Steinberg and a limited number of
legislators and representatives from the Governor's
administration. Never mind this was happening
behind closed doors, as a way to safeguard
authorization of new conveyance that would deplete
the Delta of the freshwater that it needs all under the
banner of co-equal goals for water management in
California. Never mind that these policies are being
crafted so that Western Central Valley Agribusiness
can have all the water it wants, despite its junior water
rights, and contracts written years ago indicating that
they were only entitled to extra Delta water during wet
years.
Take action today. Let your legislator know that the
people of the Delta want real solutions that will create
regional self-sufficient water supplies throughout
California, reduced Delta exports, and an equal seat
at the governance table for our region.
