PCL Insider: News from the Capitol
CHAMBER'S PROPOSED MEGA-BOND POISED TO SINK
GOVERNOR-INITIATED PROCESS, IGNITE NEW WATER WARS
PCL has recently gotten an Insider scoop that the California
Chamber of Commerce is pressuring both U.S. Senator Dianne
Feinstein and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to endorse its
environmentally-devastating $11.69
billion water bond initiative.
The bond, which the Chamber hopes to place on the November
2008 ballot, is strongly opposed by environmental groups
throughout California for its potential effects on the state's
natural resources. The bond would:
--Include $3.5 billion explicitly for dam construction, plus
billions more that could be used for dams on California
rivers.
--Establish a dangerous new "water commission" empowered to
fund and build a peripheral canal and divert massive amounts of
water from the Sacramento River around the imperiled California
Bay-Delta Estuary for large-scale corporate agriculture in the
San Joaquin Valley and sprawl development in Southern
California. (Over-pumping of water from the Delta during the
past eight years has already contributed to the collapse of the
Delta ecosystem, including plummeting salmon and other fish
populations.)
--Eliminate public and legislative oversight and leave the
fate of the Delta and Northern California rivers in the hands of
politically appointed bureaucrats likely to have strong ties to
special interests in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern
California.
The Chamber's push is seen by many as an end-run around the
Governor's own Delta Vision
process, which has brought together stakeholders from the
environmental, business, water, agricultural, and Delta
communities. The Governor-appointed Delta Vision Blue Ribbon
Task Force just issued its Final
Delta Vision and stakeholders are now developing a Vision
implementation plan to restore the Delta and provide water for
California's environment and economy.
The Chamber's initiative also threatens to deepen the fiscal
crisis facing California. According to the California Attorney
General, the initiative would strap California's General Fund
and state taxpayers with an additional $760 million annually for
the next three decades. The increased debt service would cripple
already under-funded public safety, health, fire, and education
services. (For comparison, in 2007 the state budget was held up
for weeks over proposed cuts of $700 million.)
Many of California's top elected officials have demonstrated
great leadership by rejecting the Chamber's bond and forwarding
positive proposals. Last year, Senate President pro Tem Don
Perata introduced a much
more affordable water bond that focused on water recycling,
water use efficiency, ecosystem restoration, and other local
projects. Unfortunately, despite widespread support from water
agencies, environmental organizations, and businesses, Senator
Perata's initiative was killed by special interests seeking to
advance the Chamber's mega-bond. Senator Perata has since
announced his opposition to the Chamber's bond and has committed
to stopping the Chamber's efforts to circumvent the Legislature.
The Planning and Conservation League and many others are
urging both Senator
Feinstein and the
Governor to follow the leadership demonstrated by Senator
Perata, and reject the Chamber's $11.69 billion bond.
You can help stop this dangerous initiative by calling the
Governor's office at: (916) 445-2841 and Senator Feinstein at
(202) 224-3841 (Washington D.C. office) or (415) 403-0100 (San
Francisco office) and urging them to reject the Chamber's
initiative.
For more information contact PCL's Water Program Manager,
Mindy McIntyre, at (916) 313-4518 or mmcintyre@pcl.org.
HERE TODAY...FAILURE OF PROP 93
AFFECTS ENVIRONMENTAL POLICYMAKING, MAKERS
Tuesday's Super Tsunami primary election in California was
not decisive for all the presidential candidates, but it was for
Proposition 93, a term limits reform measure endorsed by PCL and
many other environmental organizations that would have reduced
overall term limits but would have allowed an Assemblymember or
Senator to serve their entire 12 years within one house. The
measure would have also let current legislators extend their
terms.
Existing term limit requirements allow legislators to serve
only six years in the Assembly and eight in the Senate. This
means that after six brief years of learning the ropes and
understanding the challenging issues facing the State, lower
house legislators must either graduate to the upper house or
leave the Capitol.
With the defeat of Proposition 93, we will lose some of our
current environmental leaders in the California Legislature and
we're guaranteed to keep losing experienced environmental
champions as their terms expire.
CALIFORNIA SENATE SIDESTEPS PROTRACTED LEADERSHIP DEBATE
WITH SELECTION OF STEINBERG
With the failure of Proposition 93 on Tuesday, the Senate
Democratic Caucus has chosen State Senator Darrell Steinberg
(D-Sacramento) as the successor to Senate President pro Tem, Don
Perata (D-Oakland), who will be termed out at the end of the
2007-2008 session.
If the caucus reaffirms their decision in a vote in August,
Steinberg will take the reins at the start of the next
legislative session in December.
Senator Perata said in a statement, "At my urging, the Senate
Democratic Caucus decided on a process for an orderly transition
of leadership. Our No. 1 priority this year is to tackle a
giant budget deficit in a way that protects California's future.
By removing any questions about the transition of leadership,
the caucus will be best equipped to decide on the critical
issues confronting our state."
BIG WIN AT CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION TO PROTECT SAN
ONOFRE STATE BEACH
Wednesday, in a 12 hour hearing attended by several
thousand people, the California Coastal Commission voted
not to allow construction of a proposed toll road through San
Onofre State Beach. Opponents of the toll road outnumbered
supporters roughly 3 to 1, and cheered ecstatically when the
Commission announced its decision.
Park proponents, including the California State Parks
Foundation and the Save San Onofre
Coalition, have been battling for years to protect the fifth
most visited state park in California from the proposed road
project. The most recent attempt at a legislative solution, AB
1457 (Huffman), which would have required more oversight when
considering construction of roads through protected parks, was
stalled
in the Assembly Parks and Wildlife Committee last month.
Only two Coastal Commissioners, Bill Burke and Steve Kram,
voted in favor of the proposed toll road with the other eight
Commissioners present voting against it.
Traci Verardo-Torres of the California State Parks Foundation
called the decision a historic occasion. "We applaud the courage
of the California Coastal Commissioners who rose to the occasion
and acted decisively to protect the park and the coast from
[these] infrastructure threats."
PCL'S FORMER LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR APPOINTED TO
CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION
The Planning and Conservation applauds Governor
Schwarzenegger's appointment of one of our own, Karen
Douglas, PCL's former Acting Executive Director, Legislative
Director, General Counsel, and Natural Resources Director to the
board of the California
Energy Commission.
After leaving PCL in 2005, Karen directed the California
Climate Initiative for Environmental
Defense and was a chief architect of AB 32, The Global
Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
We wish Karen the best of luck at the Energy Commission and
know that her talents, experience, and passion for protecting
California's natural environment and public health will serve
California well.
NIP AND TUCK – PCL WEBSITE GETS A FACELIFT
We're pleased to announce a new look and added functionality
at the Planning and Conservation
League's website.
Check out our programs, recent news
items and upcoming events.
Find all environmental
bills that are before the California Legislature, including
PCL's position and links to our letters of support or
opposition. Attended the PCL Environmental Legislative
Symposium? Download
all of the proceedings, including the Powerpoint
presentations!
Let us know what you think of our buffed-up website by
contacting Melanie
Schlotterbeck. We're always looking to make improvements!
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