<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30140" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-skelton-bullet-train-20160310-story.html" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30455">http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-skelton-bullet-train-20160310-story.html</a><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30140"><span class="" style="display: inline; font-size: 51px; line-height: 53px; font-family: Belizio, Georgia, serif; margin-right: 5px; color: rgb(204, 204, 204);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30544">Capitol Journal </span><br></div><h1 class="" itemprop="headline" style="font-family: LAHeadline, serif; display: inline; font-weight: 400; font-size: 58px; line-height: 58px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30546">Pouring bullet train money into water development could backfire</h1><div style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 10px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30257" class=""><div class="" style="display: table; margin: 15px 0px 25px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30259"><figure class="" style="display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 20px 0px 0px; width: 70px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30261"><img src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-5362d83b/turbine/la-columnistmasthead-skelton/70/70x70" srcset="http://www.trbimg.com/img-5362d83b/turbine/la-columnistmasthead-skelton/140/140x140 2x, http://www.trbimg.com/img-5362d83b/turbine/la-columnistmasthead-skelton/210/210x210 3x" alt="George Skelton" width="70" height="70" title="George Skelton" class="" style="display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 50%; border-top-right-radius: 50%; border-bottom-right-radius: 50%; border-bottom-left-radius: 50%;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30262" data-id="3367ec2b-7365-8913-252f-fee2ed3bf6f9"></figure><span class="" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: middle;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30264"><span data-byline-withoutby="" class="" style="display: inline; font-weight: 700; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(255, 84, 67);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30266"><a itemprop="author" href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanews-george-skelton-20130507-staff.html#nt=byline" class="" style="display: inline; line-height: 1; color: rgb(255, 84, 67); text-decoration: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30268">George Skelton</a></span><span class="" style="vertical-align: middle; display: inline-block; margin-top: -3px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30270"></span><a class="" href="mailto:george.skelton@latimes.com?subject=Regarding:%20%22Pouring%20bullet%20train%20money%20into%20water%20development%20could%20backfire%22" data-role="socialshare_sEmail" style="display: inline; font-weight: 700; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(255, 84, 67); text-decoration: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30272">Contact Reporter</a><span class="" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; display: block; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); margin-top: 3px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30274">Capitol Journal</span></span></div><div class="" style="line-height: 13px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-top: 25px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30276"><time itemprop="datePublished" class="" data-datetime-month="March" data-datetime-day="10" data-datetime-year="2016" data-datetime-clock="12:05 AM" datetime="2016-03-10T00:05:00PST" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30278"></time> <span data-content-dateline="Reporting from Sacramento" class="" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30280"></span></div></div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 10px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30250" class=""><div class="" data-role="pagination_page" data-content-page="1" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30248"><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 13px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30282" class="">At first glance, the idea is appealing: Scrap Gov. Jerry Brown’s troubled bullet train project and pour the money into water development.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30284" class="">Voters have soured on the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail line after authorizing it eight years ago.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30286" class="">It’s way behind schedule. Projected costs and routes keep changing. It needs tons more money. But private investors aren’t interested and the Republican Congress is hostile.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30288" class="">The time seems ripe for a ballot initiative to shift what’s left of the bullet bonds — $8 billion remaining from the original $10 billion — to needed water projects.</div><aside class="" data-adloader-networktype="yieldmo" data-role="delayload_item" data-screen-size="mobile" data-withinviewport-options="bottomOffset=100&topOffset=1000000" data-load-method="trb.vendor.yieldmo.init" data-load-type="method" style="margin: 5px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; clear: both;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30290"><div id="ym_1082601812867266781" class=""></div></aside><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); clear: both;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30293" class="">In fact, a recent poll by the Hoover Institution found that 53% of Californians favored the notion and only 31% were opposed.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30295" class="">But hold on. This proposal isn’t as simple as just trading the train for water. There’s a lot more to it.</div><aside class="" data-content-id="86148800" data-content-size="small" data-content-type="story" data-content-slug="la-me-ln-court-reject-key-lawsuit-against-california-high-speed-rail-system-20160308" data-content-subtype="story" data-role="socialshare_item imgsize_ratiosizecontainer " data-state="" style="margin: 11px 20px 35px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 360px; overflow: hidden; float: left; z-index: 1; clear: left;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30297"><div class="" style="width: 360px; transform: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30299"><span data-content-kicker="Related" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30301" class=""></span><a class="" href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-court-reject-key-lawsuit-against-california-high-speed-rail-system-20160308-story.html" data-content-media-present="true" style="float: left; width: 360px; position: relative; display: block; text-decoration: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30303"><figure data-role="imgsize_item" class="" imgheight="250" imgwidth="400" imgratio="16x9" style="margin: 4px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 202.5px; position: relative; width: 360.71875px; min-height: 0px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30305"><img itemprop="image" data-baseurl="http://www.trbimg.com/img-56df0a66/turbine/la-me-ln-court-reject-key-lawsuit-against-california-high-speed-rail-system-20160308" alt="Court rejects key lawsuit against California high-speed rail system" class="" title="Court rejects key lawsuit against California high-speed rail system" data-c-nd="2048x1206" data-ratio="16x9" data-width="400" data-height="250" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-56df0a66/turbine/la-me-ln-court-reject-key-lawsuit-against-california-high-speed-rail-system-20160308/400/400x225" style="display: block; max-width: 100.69999694824219%; max-height: 100.69999694824219%; ; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; margin: auto !important; padding: 0px !important; width: auto !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30306" data-id="3b9f2dfb-0458-0729-ef48-ccf05beb3172"></figure></a><div class="" data-role="lightbox_metadata" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30308"><a class="" href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-court-reject-key-lawsuit-against-california-high-speed-rail-system-20160308-story.html" style="float: left; width: 360px; text-decoration: none; position: relative; display: block;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30310"><span class="" style="display: block; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: LAHeadline, serif; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30312">Court rejects key lawsuit against California high-speed rail system</span></a></div></div></aside><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30314" class="">It would shuffle California water law with questionable results for taxpayers, the environment and many farmers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30316" class="">Interests you’d think would herald the proposal — some agriculture groups and water agencies — are forming coalitions to fight it.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30318" class="">Voter signatures <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-court-reject-key-lawsuit-against-california-high-speed-rail-system-20160308-story.html" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(69, 145, 184);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30320" class="">are being collected to qualify the initiative for the November ballot</a>. The sponsors are two Republicans: state Sen. Bob Huff of San Dimas, who’s running for Los Angeles County supervisor, and George Runner, a member of the state Board of Equalization. The campaign is being run by the California Water Alliance, funded with San Joaquin Valley agriculture money.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30322" class="">But not all San Joaquin farmers and officials like the idea.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30324" class="">“Don’t be fooled,” wrote Manuel Cunha Jr., president of the Nisei Farmers League, in a Fresno Bee op-ed piece. “Unfortunately, this initiative will not advance water projects, but instead set us back years and possibly kill projects.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30326" class="">The Bee reported growing opposition among San Joaquin Valley agriculture, government and water leaders.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30328" class="">They’re not defending the bullet train. But they object to one key provision of the initiative: The grabbing of $2.7 billion in storage money from a delicately negotiated $7.5-billion water bond measure approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2014.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30330" class="">The $2.7 billion combined with the bullet train’s $8 billion would provide $10.7 billion for water projects. The money would be doled out by a newly created body composed of regional water managers.</div><aside class="" data-content-size="small" data-content-type="blurb" style="margin: 5px 30px 30px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 360px; overflow: hidden; float: left; z-index: 50; clear: left;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30332"><div id="trb_em_b_85278854" class="" data-load-type="commentFrame" data-frame-width="100%" data-frame-height="100%" data-frame-class="trb_em_b_if" data-frame-scroll="no" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 0px; overflow: auto; padding-top: 190px !important;"><iframe height="100%" width="100%" class="" scrolling="no" style="; top: 0px; border-width: 0px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30335"></iframe></div></aside><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30337" class="">It would replace the California Water Commission, which already is considering new dams on the San Joaquin River at Temperance Flat near Fresno, and close to the Sacramento River at sites in Colusa County. Cunha says creating a new bureaucracy “will put us back maybe a whole decade.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30339" class="">The initiative also seems to be a full employment act for lawyers. It messes with long-established water rights.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30341" class="">It would amend the state Constitution to make domestic use the No. 1 priority for stored water and crop irrigation No. 2. And those would be the only listed priorities. Salmon runs, endangered species and waterfowl habitat? Not priorities. The environment would take a bath.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30343" class="">This, of course, has been the dream of some San Joaquin agriculture corporations for decades.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30345" class="">In the Sacramento Valley — the northern expanse of the Central Valley — there’s growing opposition.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30347" class="">“To say that all farmers believe the environment should come last in water priority is just not true and is insulting,” says Tim Johnson, president and chief executive of the California Rice Commission. “Farmers in the north who work closely with the environment find that offensive.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30349" class="">For starters, rice farmers oppose the measure because they believe it could delay construction of Sites Reservoir.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30351" class="">“We’d have to start over from scratch,” Johnson says. Now, a concrete proposal is expected next year.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30353" class="">Also, because of the initiative’s tinkering with water law, rice growers are worried it could curtail their flooding of harvested fields to host migratory waterfowl.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30355" class="">The fall flooding is mutually beneficial: It breaks down rice straw and allows farmers to replant the next spring. And it produces a delicious soup of leftover rice and insects for migrating ducks and geese.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30357" class="">This isn’t crop irrigation — a priority under the initiative — but crop cleanup and bird feeding. Before the flooding began around 1990, crops were burned, badly fouling Sacramento Valley air. Now the flooding provides a paradise for hunters, waterfowl and bird lovers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30359" class="">“We’re providing 60% of the food for 3 to 5 million geese and ducks,” Johnson says. “We flood 200,000 acres. Farmers get very excited about all the great stuff in our fields: sandhill cranes, bald eagles, egrets, great blue herons. Right now, lots of snow geese.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30361" class="">“Californians historically care a lot about rivers and fish and wildlife,” says Jay Ziegler, policy director for the Nature Conservancy. “It’s part of our natural legacy and quality of life. This measure really puts at risk the balance we’re trying to protect.”</div><aside class="" data-content-id="86071227" data-content-size="small" data-content-type="story" data-content-slug="la-pol-sac-essential-politics-20160301" data-content-subtype="htmlstory" data-role="socialshare_item imgsize_ratiosizecontainer " data-state="" style="margin: 11px 20px 35px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 360px; overflow: hidden; float: left; z-index: 1; clear: left;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30363"><div class="" style="width: 360px; transform: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30365"><span data-content-kicker="Related" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30367" class=""></span><a class="" href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-20160301-htmlstory.html" data-content-media-present="true" style="float: left; width: 360px; position: relative; display: block; text-decoration: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30369"><figure data-role="imgsize_item" class="" imgheight="250" imgwidth="400" imgratio="16x9" style="margin: 4px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 202.5px; position: relative; width: 360.71875px; min-height: 0px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30371"><img itemprop="image" data-baseurl="http://www.trbimg.com/img-56d5cffd/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-20160301" alt="California politics updates: DeLeón wades into air quality fight" class="" title="California politics updates: DeLeón wades into air quality fight" data-c-nd="800x450" data-ratio="16x9" data-width="400" data-height="250" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-56d5cffd/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-20160301/400/400x225" style="display: block; max-width: 100.69999694824219%; max-height: 100.69999694824219%; ; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; margin: auto !important; padding: 0px !important; width: auto !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30372" data-id="07729e8a-5cda-ba56-9d29-2a76ba8cead1"></figure></a><div class="" data-role="lightbox_metadata" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30374"><a class="" href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-20160301-htmlstory.html" style="float: left; width: 360px; text-decoration: none; position: relative; display: block;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30376"><span class="" style="display: block; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: LAHeadline, serif; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30378">California politics updates: DeLeón wades into air quality fight</span></a></div></div></aside><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30380" class="">David Guy, president of the Northern California Water Assn., said his organization is “frustrated that folks are out gathering signatures and flat-out misleading people. This is a foolhardy initiative we can’t ignore.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30382" class="">“It’s deceptively appealing, but unfortunate,” said Republican state Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber in the Sacramento Valley. “It’s opening a can of worms.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30384" class="">Aubrey Bettencourt, who heads the sponsoring California Water Alliance, calls the initiative “a commonsense effort to provide water for people first” and says it is “a rare chance for the people … to tell the state to get its priorities straight. High-speed rail is an unpopular boondoggle.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30386" class="">Should we shift rail money to water? That’s a legitimate argument. But this initiative also has other agendas that reach too far.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30388" class=""><span style="font-weight: 700;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30390" class=""><a href="mailto:george.skelton@latimes.com" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(69, 145, 184);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30392" class="">george.skelton@latimes.com</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30247" dir="ltr" class=""><span style="font-weight: 700;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30246" class="">Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/latimesskelton" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(69, 145, 184);" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30243" class="">George Skelton @ LAT (@LATimesSkelton) | Twitter</a></span></div><div style="width:450px; font-family: 'Georgia', 'Times', 'Times New Roman', 'serif';margin-top:5px; margin-bottom: 5px; background-color: #ffffff;" contenteditable="false" id="enhancrCard_0" class="link-enhancr-attachment link-enhancr-element richcompose-card"><table class="link-enhancr-element" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="width:450px; height:170px; position: relative; display: block;"><tbody><tr class="link-enhancr-element"><td class="link-enhancr-element" colspan="8" style="height: 1px; background-color: #e5e5e5; font-size: 1px; border-collapse: collapse;"><div class="link-enhancr-element" style="height: 1px; background-color: #e5e5e5; font-size: 1px; line-height:0px;"> </div></td></tr><tr class="link-enhancr-element"><td rowspan="5" class="link-enhancr-element" style="width: 1px; background-color: #e5e5e5; font-size: 1pt; border-collapse: collapse;"><div class="link-enhancr-element" style="width: 1px; background-color: #e5e5e5; font-size: 1pt;"> </div></td><td class="link-enhancr-element link-enhancr-image-wrap enhancr-image-crop" rowspan="5" style="vertical-align: middle; 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vertical-align: middle; font-family: 'Georgia', 'Times', 'Times New Roman', 'serif';"><div class="link-enhancr-text-part link-enhancr-element" style="line-height:16.5px; background-color: #ffffff; height: 135px; width: 245px;"><div class="link-enhancr-element" style="word-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-all;"><span class="link-enhancr-element icon icon-shrink link-enhancr-toggle"></span><span class="link-enhancr-element icon icon-close link-enhancr-delete"></span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/latimesskelton" class="link-enhancr-card-urlWrapper link-enhancr-element" style="text-decoration: none !important;text-decoration:none; color: #000000 !important; line-height: 100%; font-size: 18px; display: block;"><span class="link-enhancr-element link-enhancr-card-title" style="margin: 0; font-weight: normal;margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 18px; line-height: 21px; max-height: 43px; color: #000000; overflow: hidden !important; display: inline-block;">George Skelton @ LAT (@LATimesSkelton) | Twitter</span></a><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; color: #999999; max-height: 81px; font-family: 'Georgia', 'Times', 'Times New Roman', 'serif';overflow: hidden;" class="link-enhancr-card-description link-enhancr-element">The latest Tweets from George Skelton @ LAT (@LATimesSkelton). Political columnist George Skelton has covered government and politics for The Los Angeles Times...</div></div></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="link-enhancr-element" style="height: 4px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 0pt; border-collapse: collapse;"><div class="link-enhancr-element" style="height: 4px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 4pt;"></div></td></tr><tr><td class="link-enhancr-element" style="vertical-align: middle; font-family: 'Arial', 'Helvetica Neue', 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif';"><div class="link-enhancr-element" style="font-size: 0pt;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/latimesskelton" class="link-enhancr-card-url link-enhancr-element" style="color: black; text-decoration: none !important;text-decoration:none;cursor:pointer !important;" target="_blank"><span class="link-enhancr-element link-enhancr-view-on" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 11px; max-width: 145px; min-width: 85px; overflow: hidden; max-height: 13px; word-break: break-all;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30411"><span class="link-enhancr-element link-enhancr-mobile-no-resize" style="vertical-align:middle; font-size: 9px; line-height: 11px; color: #999999; -moz-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust:none; text-size-adjust:none;">View on <span style="font-weight: bold" class="link-enhancr-view-on-domain">www.twitter.com</span></span></span></a></div></td><td class="link-enhancr-element" style="vertical-align: middle; width: 100px; font-family: 'Arial', 'Helvetica Neue', 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif';"><div class="link-enhancr-element link-enhancr-preview-wrapper" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px; overflow: hidden; text-align: right; line-height: 11px; max-height: 13px; font-size: 0pt;"><span class="link-enhancr-element link-enhancr-preview-by link-enhancr-mobile-no-resize" style="vertical-align:middle; font-size: 9px; line-height: 11px; color: #999999; -moz-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust:none; text-size-adjust:none;">Preview by Yahoo</span></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="link-enhancr-element" style="height: 9px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 0pt; border-collapse: collapse;"><div class="link-enhancr-element" style="height: 9px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 9pt;"></div></td></tr><tr class="link-enhancr-element"><td class="link-enhancr-element" colspan="8" style="height: 1px; background-color: #e5e5e5; font-size: 1px; border-collapse: collapse;"><div class="link-enhancr-element" style="height: 1px; background-color: #e5e5e5; font-size: 1px; line-height:0px"> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30247"><br></div></div></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30140"><br></div><div class="signature" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30137"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457623194631_30136"><br></div></div></div></body></html>