Salvos Fired In California Water Wars--Assembly Hearing Tomorrow--Senate Hearing Postponed to Monday

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The California State Assembly will hold its first hearing of the special session on water tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in the largest hearing room available. The Senate has postponed tomorrow's hearing solely for personal scheduling reasons, we are told. The Senate hearing will now take place on Monday at 1:00 p.m. unless the time changes at the call of the chair.

Meanwhile, the water war of words is going strong as the Associated Press has reported that, "Assembly Republicans said Wednesday that they will reject any plan to improve the state's water supplies unless it includes funding for new dams." This has drawn sharp rebukes from Assembly and Senate Democrats. Shades of the budget impasse?

Senate President pro Tem Don Perata, who has taken the lead on water and has a number of bills pending in the Senate special session, had this to say: “Drawing ‘lines in the sand’ won’t safeguard the supply of clean, safe drinking water that our homes, businesses and farms so urgently need. Our proposal encourages water conservation, while including both surface and groundwater storage, and protecting the water sources supplying the State Water Project. Experts agree that is the best way to provide the water we need to keep California’s economy strong.”

Assemblymember Lois Wolk (D-Davis), chair of the Special Committee on Water, and Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), leader of the Assembly Democratic Caucus Water Working Group, also responded to Assembly Republicans’ pledge to “draw a line in the sand” if Democrats refuse to preemptively guarantee that a final legislative package includes new dam construction.

Wolk said “I will be chairing hearings that will begin the process of moving forward responsibly on these issues, I don’t think issuing ultimatums or counter-ultimatums is the productive approach for California. The Delta should not be kicked around like a political football. There is a serious crisis and it needs a serious response. We need to all sit at the same table and talk. Tomorrow's hearing is a good start.”

John Laird, who chaired the budget committee and is known for paying attention to details and trying to work out consensus, said: “There are those who believe strongly that dams must be part of the solution, and as the working group leader I have been asked my position on them. To me, it’s a question of analyzing whether they should be built, and who pays. Dams have been built in California with no state money in recent years -- with users paying the freight. The most the state has contributed for a dam has been 3% of the cost of Oroville Dam. The Governor has proposed three dams at a cost of over $5 billion -- a record level of public financing because he is proposing the state come up with 50% of the cost for each dam.”