[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dan Bacher

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dan Bacher

Lois Wolk's AB 1806, the Fish Rescue Plans Bill, aims to stop future environmental disasters like November 2007's Prospect Island Fish Kill from taking place. The bill also requires full mitigation for the fish-killing impacts of the federal and state water projects upon California Delta fish. Photo by Dan Bacher.

The California State Assembly voted 41-31 on May 29 for Assembly Bill 1806, the Fish Rescue Plans Bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) to protect the declining fisheries in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The bill was originally set to be heard by the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on June 10, but the hearing has been re-scheduled for Tuesday, June 24. A massive outpouring of letters and phone calls is needed to push this bill through the State Senate. We also need to pack the hearing room at the State Capitol on June 24.

Passage of this bill becomes increasingly crucial when you consider the closure of California and Oregon ocean waters and Central Valley rivers for the first time in history this year. The closure is a result of the collapse of the Sacramento River fall chinook salmon population, the driver of West Coast salmon fisheries.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Doug Paul Davis

To illustrate how improbable Mariko Yamada's victory over Christopher Cabaldon was, let us recount a few key watermarks in the race.

Almost from the start, it seemed an uphill battle as Cabaldon had the audacity in January of 2007, weeks after Lois Wolk officially took office for her third and final term as Assemblywoman, there he stood in Yamada's home town with two of her colleagues, two members of the Davis City Council, two members of his own city council, and the Mayor of Woodland (and to boot Jeff Monroe was in uniform that day, but attended the event to show support for Cabaldon).

It seemed before Mariko Yamada even announced she was way behind and she never caught up (or so we thought).

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

SD-03: With 9% in, Nation 38, Leno 35, Migden 27.

SD-05: Lois Wolk has been declared the winner by the AP.

SD-09: Very early but Loni Hancock is up 71-29.

SD-19: Hannah-Beth Jackson and Tony Strickland are both running unopposed, but right now Strickland only has 2,500 more votes.  That should bear watching.

SD-23: Pavley up 61-39 on Lloyd Levine.

SD-25: Dymally up 46-33 on Rod Wright.

SD-33: Mimi Walters has been declared the winner.  She'll face Ellinoiranne's husband Gary Pritchard.

AD-08: Mariko Yamada and Chris Cabaldon in a 51-49 dogfight.

AD-10: Alyson Huber up 65-35 with 43% in.  She'll take this.

AD-14: Nancy Skinner is up but it's early.

AD-15: Joan Buchanan is up 66-34, and on the GOP side it's a crapshoot.

AD-19: Gina Papan by about 200 votes right now.

AD-27: Bill Monning is leading but very early.

AD-37: Ferial Masry up 64-36 with just 1% in.

AD-40: Bob Blumenfield up 45-25-23 over Healey and Waldman.

More in a bit.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dan Bacher

Long-needed legislation by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) to protect the California Delta’s rapidly declining fisheries won the approval of the State Assembly’s Appropriations Committee on Thursday, May 22. The bill will be heard next week on the Assembly Floor, according to Melissa Jones, Wolk's spokesperson.

The Committee vote was 12-5 for Wolk's AB 1806, a bill that requires public land managers to prepare emergency fish rescue plans before undertaking a project that would have a significant adverse impact on fishery resources in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The vote passed through Committee on a party line vote, with Committee Democrats voting for the bill and the Republicans voting against it. Assembly Members Mark Leno, Anna Caballero, Mike Davis, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Eng, Jared Huffman, Patty Berg, Paul Krekorian, Ted Lieu, Fiona Ma, Pedro Nava and Jose Solorio voted "Yes," while Mimi Walters, Bill Emmerson, Doug La Malfa, Alan Nakanishi and Sharon Runner voted "No" for the bill.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Willingness to tackle tough environmental issues including the Prospect Island fish kill, California Delta fish decline, and Central Valley chinook salmon collapse appreciated

By Dan Bacher

California Trout, a statewide fishing and conservation group, honored Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) for her leadership as the chairwoman of the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee on some of California's most pressing water issues, including the state's fisheries declines, flood protection, and water policy reform.

Brian Stranko, the organizations chief executive officer, gave Wolk the Golden Trout plaque at a ceremony in Sacramento after the annual Fisheries Legislative Forum before a group of legislators, commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and conservationists.

California Trout (CalTrout), an organization that advocates the protection and restoration of wild trout and steelhead waters throughout California, gives the award semi-annually to the individual who makes "the most distinguished contribution to the protection of wild trout, steelhead, and their habitat"- someone whose "actions and deeds exemplify the meaning of public service." Previous recipients include two former California Governors, Congressman Mike Thompson and former Senator Alan Cranston.

by wu ming [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Well, at least for another year. The Sac Bee reports that the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, chaired by Yolo County's own Lois Wolk (D- Davis), just killed SB 27 until next year. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) would have established a committee to build a peripheral canal diverting water around the Sacramento Delta for export south, although it called it a "conveyance" in a modest feat of bureaucratic obscurantism.