[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Republicans see Rep. Jerry McNerney's GOP-leaning seat as one of their strongest pick up opportunities in an otherwise abysmal year for the Republican brand, but a developing scandal by Republican candidate Dean Andal threatens to give McNerney the breathing room he needs.

brownsox over at the Daily Kos has more:

"One of the GOP’s top House recruits for this cycle may be in grave trouble. Assemblyman Dean Andal, challenging freshman Rep. Jerry McNerney in California’s Republican-leaning 11th District, has been accused of ties to a leak from the Board of Trustees of San Joaquin Delta College, in violation of California’s open government laws.

In a nutshell, members of the Delta board of trustees met to discuss terminating the contract of a delinquent contractor. Information from that meeting was illegally leaked to the contractor, who was then able to use that information to maintain the contract with Delta College. This is a serious crime, and a major betrayal of the public trust.

And if Board of Trustees member Ted Simas is to be believed, Andal -- a consultant to the aforementioned contractor, PCCP Mountain House, on the Delta project -- was personally privy to that information."

read more »

[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.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[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.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Two pieces of the solution to state's water management crisis still moving forward

By Traci Sheehan
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

Last week, the Legislature indicated that, despite the pressing need to address the ecosystem crash in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and declining water supply reliability statewide, one attention-grabbing Delta proposal was not ready for prime time.

On Tuesday, the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee held SB 27 (Simitian) which would have established a new management entity for the Delta with the authority to build a version of the peripheral canal.

The canal, which would export freshwater directly from the Sacramento River, bypassing the delta, to the Bay Area, Southern California, and the San Joaquin Valley, has been a source of controversy due to fears that it could devastate the ailing Delta ecosystem.

During his presentation, Senator Simitian noted that the Bay-Delta is "going to hell in a hand basket" and that California cannot wait for a perfect solution to the Delta's woes.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Wolk's AB 1806 and AB 2502 Move through process

By Dan Bacher

Two key fish and wildlife habitat restoration bills, AB 1806 and AB 2502, passed through the California Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on Tuesday, April 15. These two bills are greatly needed at a time when the Central Valley chinook salmon population and the California Delta ecosystem are in a state of unprecedented collapse.

For the first time in history, commercial and recreational fishing for chinook salmon this year will be banned in ocean waters off California and most of Oregon. While the Bush and Schwarzenegger administrations blame the collapse on "ocean conditions," a coalition of recreational and commercial fishing groups, environmental groups and Indian Tribes contends the collapse is largely the result of increased water exports out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and declining water quality caused by agricultural pollution.

AB 1806, the Fish Rescue Plans Bill by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis), passed through the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee today on a vote of 8-5, with the State Water Project and Federal Central Valley Project mitigation requirements included. The next stop will be the Assembly Appropriations Committee in a couple of weeks.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Traci Sheehan
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

This Monday the Los Angeles Times made news of its own with a surprising editorial that marks a major shift in long held battle positions in California's water wars.