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<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=danielbacher@fishsniffer.com
href="mailto:danielbacher@fishsniffer.com">Dan Bacher</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, September 13, 2009 6:33 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Steinberg's Water Bill Package Defeated by Grassroots
Uprising</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="COLOR: rgb(17,17,17); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Steinberg's Water Bill
Package Defeated by Grassroots Uprising</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111 size=3>by
Dan Bacher </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Faced with overwhelming and wide-ranging opposition by the people of
California, Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and other
Legislators abandoned their attempt to rush a controversial water policy and
bond package through the Capitol in the final hours of the Legislative Session
Friday. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Delta advocates said the passage of the bill would have resulted in the
construction of a peripheral canal and an increase in water exports out of the
imperiled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, sealing the doom of the collapsing
Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations as well as Delta agriculture.
They also contended the legislation would have greatly weakened California water
rights and Public Trust law. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Although this was a great victory for the broad coalition of fishing,
conservation, environmental justice, tribal, labor and farming groups and Delta
counties and cities that opposed the legislation, the war to save and restore
the Delta has just begun, according to bill opponents. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>"We're not finished yet," said Assemblymember Lois Wolk (D-Davis). "We
need to focus now on what we need to do to save the Delta. We have a lot of work
to do to restore our fisheries and protect habitat and Delta
agriculture." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111 size=3>"We
won," said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta.
"Thank Lois Wolk." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Senator Wolk on Wednesday withdrew her authorship of Senate Bill 458,
legislation that would establish a Delta Conservancy, because of her concern
that the bill's amended version would serve as a "tool to assist water exporters
who are primarily responsible for the Delta's decline." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Wolk took this unusual action after being notified by Steinberg that her
legislation would be amended in a Water Conference Committee with provisions
Senator Wolk and the five Delta counties opposed. Wolk was replaced with
Senators Steinberg and Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) as the authors of SB
458. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Robert Johnson of Californians Against the Canal emphasized that the
problems of the Delta and northern California fisheries cannot be solved without
addressing the retirement of selenium-filled lands in the San Joaquin Valley's
west side that would free upwards of 1.5 million acre feet of water for fish and
the environment. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>"The resources saved by funding 21st Century water solutions, including
the retirement of drainage impaired land and increased water conservation, would
be far more effective and less costly than the current water scenario," said
Johnson. "These solutions would also free up tremendous resources to deal with
the humanitarian crisis caused by unrestrained agriculture growth in Kings,
Kern, Fresno and Madera counties in recent decades." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111 size=3>"It
took a massive effort by the fishing, conservation and environmental community
to stand up to the multimillion dollar lobbying of the Southern California water
districts but we did it," summed up Jerry Neuburger of the California
Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA). "Your letters, faxes, and phone calls
made the difference. With your help, CSPA was the tip of the arrow aimed at this
destructive bill's heart." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>"The bad news is, like Arnold, they'll be back," he quipped. "A special
session is in the works so please don't think this is over. But for now, smell
the roses, drink the champagne and take a trip to
Disneyland!" </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Over the past week, Steinberg's attempt to ram the bill package through
the Capitol ignited a grass roots uprising of Steinberg's constituents and Delta
residents. Barbara Daly of Save the Delta and Kim Glazzard of Organic Sacramento
organized three days of protests outside of Steinberg's office to put political
pressure on Steinberg. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111 size=3>The
broad-spread opposition was evidenced Friday night during the final hearing on
SB 68 (AB 893). While several people, including representatives of NRDC,
Environmental Defense, the Nature Conservancy, the Bay Institute and
Metropolitan Water District spoke in favor of the water bill package, over 50
people spoke against it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111 size=3>The
wide ranging opponents of the legislation included the California Farm Bureau,
Sierra Club, Planning and Conservation League, the SEIU State Council, the
Teamsters Union, Winnemem Wintu Tribe and City of Sacramento. Even Phil
Isenberg, the chairman of the Delta Vision Task Form, opposed the legislation in
a letter hand delivered to Legislators. Many speakers complained that the
legislation was rushed, failed to include proper input from Delta legislators
and residents and would actually worsen, rather than help, the imperiled
California Delta. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>"The crisis on the Delta is universally acknowledged," said Barry Nelson,
senior policy analyst for NRDC, in urging the Legislators to pass the bill. "The
status quo, the way the Delta is managed now, is not
sustainable. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>"This legislation will do nothing to help the Delta," countered Jim
Metropolous, Senior Advocate of the Sierra Club California. "What's the rush to
pass this bill package when the legislation states that it will take two years
to come up with a plan? What we need is for the DFG and State Water Board to do
their job enforcing the law." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>Senator Steinberg made a last minute appeal to garner support for the
legislation. "I'm willing to concede and compromise on water storage, continuous
appropriations and general obligation bonds because if we want to solve
California's water problems, we have to compromise," he said. "My bill offers
the best effort to compromise. We brought Environmental Defense, NRDC, the
Audubon Society, Westlands Water District and the Metropolitan Water District
together to negotiate this compromise." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111
size=3>However, by late Friday evening, massive opposition to the bill by both
Republican and Democratic legislators became clear to Steinberg, Assemblymember
Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and they shelved
the legislation before it went to a floor vote.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span
face=Verdana color=#111111><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><BR
class=webkit-block-placeholder></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span
face=Verdana color=#111111><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px"><FONT
style="FONT: 12px Verdana; COLOR: #111111" face=Verdana color=#111111 size=3>The
defeat of both the water policy bill and $11.8 billion water bond on September
11 was a clear victory by grassroots environmentalists, fishermen, farmers and
Delta residents over the corporate environmentalists who collaborated with
Westlands Water District, the Metropolitan Water District and Legislators in
their attempt to push a package through the Legislature that would have resulted
in the building of a peripheral canal and more
dams. </FONT></DIV></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>