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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<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> Thursday, February 18, 2010 5:17 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Poll Shows Voters Ready to Flush $11 Billion Water Bond in
November </DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17); FONT-SIZE: 13px"
class=Apple-style-span>
<DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>Just one-third of likely voters
(34%) support the $11.1 billion water bond currently, while more than a majority
of likely voters (55%) oppose it, according to a statewide poll conducted by
Tulchin Research. The bond is part of a water policy/water bond package that the
Legislature passed in special session in November. The package creates a clear
path to the construction of a peripheral canal and new dams. The water bond must
defeated because it is essentially yet another subsidy for the Corporate Welfare
Water Kings of the San Joaquin Valley, who have helped to engineer the collapse
of Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other fish populations. </SPAN>
<DIV
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Stop the Peripheral Canal - Flush the Water Bond
- Smash the Corrupt MLPA Process!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span color=#111111 size=3
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px" class=Apple-style-span><BR
class=webkit-block-placeholder></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span color=#111111 size=3
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px"
class=Apple-style-span>Dan</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span color=#111111 size=3
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px" class=Apple-style-span><BR
class=webkit-block-placeholder></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span color=#111111 size=3
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px" class=Apple-style-span><BR
class=webkit-block-placeholder></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>February 18, 2010 </FONT></DIV>
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style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>CONTACT: Food & Water
Watch </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Adam Scow: (415) 293-9915 </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Poll Shows Voters Ready to Flush $11 Billion
Water Bond in November </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>SACRAMENTO, Calif. - February 18 - A majority of
California voters oppose the $11.1 billion water bond that the Legislature and
the Governor have placed on the November ballot, according to a recent statewide
poll conducted by Tulchin Research. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Just one-third of likely voters (34%) support
the water bond currently, while more than a majority of likely voters (55%)
oppose it. That's a very weak start for a bond measure, and some of the existing
support is likely to drop off as a campaign against the bond ramps up later this
year, in the view of opponents of the bond, who released the survey results
today. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>"Voters recognize this bond as bad water policy
and bad fiscal policy at a time when California is drowning in red ink," said
Jim Metropulos, Senior Advocate with Sierra Club California, part of the
campaign opposing the bond measure. "We need clean water and we need a better
water policy, but this bond is not going to get us there." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Pollster Ben Tulchin, who conducted the survey,
called the results daunting. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>"The challenge for backers of this bond is
monumental," said Tulchin. "No statewide bond measure has ever won when a
majority of voters opposed it at the outset." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Support was weak in the poll, even among those
voting yes, with just 12% saying they would "definitely" vote yes and 4% saying
they merely "leaned" in favor. In contrast, there was greater intensity on the
"no" side, with a third of all voters polled (32%) saying they would
"definitely" vote no. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>"This bond hands out billions of dollars to
corporations and other special interests at the expense of California
taxpayers," said Adam Scow, California Campaigns Director with consumer rights
group Food & Water Watch. "It's no surprise that support for the bond is
already weak. We expect voters to reject it in November." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>A number of prominent environmental, consumer,
and environmental justice organizations have already joined the campaign
opposing the bond, including the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, Planning and
Conservation League, Friends of the River, Food & Water Watch, the
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, the Winnemem Wintu tribe, California
Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network (C-WIN),
Southern California Watershed Alliance, and Restore the
Delta. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>"We are encouraged to see that voters across
California share our view that this bond is a bad deal for taxpayers," said Tina
Andolina, Legislative Director for the Planning and Conservation
League. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Andolina noted that cross-tabulated results from
the poll show opposition across party and geographic lines. "No demographic
group anywhere in the state offers majority support for the bond," said
Andolina. "Voters of all parties oppose it, as do voters in the northern and
southern parts of the state and the Central Valley." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Opponents note that the bond does not provide
immediate funding to municipalities or conservation efforts. Low-income
communities, many of which live with contaminated drinking water, would receive
only a tiny fraction of total bond funds. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>In contrast, up to $4 billion of taxpayers'
investment could be used to subsidize large corporate interests, including
agribusinesses, that will profit from the projects. $3 billion can be used to
construct new dams, and as much as $1 billion can subsidize costly private
desalination projects. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Campaign members point out that money to finance
the bond will come out of California's general fund, which also funds education,
healthcare, police and fire, and other essential services. The hit on the
general fund would be enormous, as much as $800 million per year. Total debt
repayment on the bond is expected to top $22 billion over 30
years. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(17,17,17)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>"Instead of building projects we don't need, we
should be fixing local drinking water systems and taking other steps to ensure a
safe, reliable water supply for California," said Scow of Food & Water
Watch. "Voters are already signaling that they know this bond is the wrong
approach at the wrong time." </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>### </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 13px Arial; COLOR: #111111"
color=#111111 size=4 face=Arial>Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer
organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food. We challenge the
corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people
to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat
and drink.</FONT></DIV>
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