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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Sacramento
Bee editorial and a Letter to its Editor from Jeff Shellito:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<h1>Editorial: Steinberg should protect the Delta<o:p></o:p></h1>
<h4>Published Saturday, Sep. 05, 2009<o:p></o:p></h4>
<p><b>That ominous sound you hear coming from the Capitol this week is the
rumble of water buffaloes stampeding toward a possible deal to keep Northern
California water flowing to farms, businesses and homes in the south. We
understand the Legislature's new-found sense of urgency on this issue, but
we're concerned that the interests of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will get
trampled in the process.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>The legislation is a moving target, and it's impossible to know how it
will turn out. But a couple of hints give us pause.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>First, there's only one seat on the proposed seven-member Delta
Stewardship Council for a representative from the five Delta counties. The
council, if it's created, will have tremendous power to decide the region's
future, up to and including whether a massive new canal should be built to
route water through or around the Delta. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>This is a big state, but it seems to us that more local representation on
such a body would be prudent.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>Second, only one lawmaker representing the Delta was among the 14 members
appointed by legislative leaders to negotiate this package. Presumably, this is
because those legislators cannot be counted on to back a bill that doesn't
protect the Delta.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>The one member from these parts is Senate President Pro Tem Darrell
Steinberg, the Democrat from Sacramento. But Steinberg, has divided loyalties,
because he was elected leader by and must be responsive to the needs of all the
Democrats in his house, not just those from the Delta.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>In addition to assurances that any new governing body will give the Delta
counties an adequate voice at the table, the counties need protections for
their water supply and its quality, and guarantees that the financing needed to
repair and maintain the Delta as water is shunted south will be sufficient to
meet the need.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Steinberg
understandably wants to chalk up a major legislative achievement in his first
year as leader. We wish him well. But that drive shouldn't blind him to the
needs of his own constituents<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Letter to the Editor<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Don't tap us for
water project</span></strong><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b>Re "<a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/State+parks/"><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>State parks</span></a>
are economic engine" (Editorial, Sept. 2): What state government spends <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/taxpayer+dollars/"><span style='font-size:11.5pt;
font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>taxpayer dollars</span></a> on is about making
choices and setting priorities.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>Our legislative leaders recently created a conference committee on water
where, among other things, a $5 billion to $11 billion general obligation bond
is under active consideration to pay for construction of new water storage
projects (dams). The governor has already threatened to veto any water reform
package if it doesn't include such a bond.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>If the <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Legislature/"><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Legislature</span></a>
goes along and the voters approve even a $5 billion water bond measure, it will
annually cost <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California/"><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>California</span></a>
$325 million over 30 years to service the debt.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>Closing <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/State+parks/"><span
style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>state parks</span></a>
to save $14 million while our political leaders are seriously considering
taking on hundreds of millions of dollars in new debt is insanity. We should
not be asked to annually pay $10 more to register our cars to avoid park
closures if political leaders think state taxpayers should subsidize
construction of new dam projects that many believe are unneeded.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p><b>Let the beneficiaries pay for that water. That's how the State Water
Project got built.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b>Jeff Shellito</b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
cell</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><span style='color:blue'>bwl3@comcast.net</span></a></span></i></b><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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