Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3726 Dec 8-21 | Page 24
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Dec 7 - 21, 2018
VOL.37 • ISS. 26
Voters Defeat Proposition 3,
Jerry Meral’s Water Bond
he voters of California decisively
defeated Proposition 3, the contro-
versial $9 billion water bond backed by
powerful corporate agribusiness interests,
in the November 6 midterm election.
52.34% of the voters, 3,568,010, voted
No for the measure, while 47.66%,
3,248,415, voted Yes, with 100 percent of
precincts reporting.
Opponents of the water bond include the
Sierra Club California, Friends of the River,
League of Women Voters of California,
Save The American River Association,
Food & Water Action, Restore the Delta
and the Southern California Watershed
Alliance.
Supporters of the measure include the
Western Growers, California Rice Industry
Association, California Fresh Fruit Asso-
ciation, Stewart and Lynda Resnicks’ the
Wonderful Company, Ducks Unlimited,
the California Waterfowl Association, the
Association of California Water Agencies
(ACWA) and California Trout.
The Sierra Club California, the primary
opponent of the measure, celebrated the
defeat of the proposition promoted by Jerry
Meral, the former Deputy Director of the
California Department of Water Resources
and Governor Jerry Brown’s point man on
the Delta Tunnels.
The backers of the measure, including
agribusiness, spent $5,653,034 on the Yes
campaign while the Sierra Club spent less
than $5,000 on the No Campaign.
“We have said all along that there were
some good ideas in Proposition 3,” said
Kathryn Phillips, Director of Sierra Club
California. “For example, there was money
for San Francisco Bay restoration and for
improving water systems in disadvantaged
communities in the bond.”
“But the vast bulk of the proposition
would have turned water policy upside and
put the general public and the environment
at a disadvantage,” she said. “That’s why
we became reluctant opponents of Prop 1.”
“Also, we were concerned about the pay
to play aspect of the measure and how
it was crafted behind the scenes,” stated
Phillips. “That’s a lousy way to do public
policy, especially public policy that is
expending public dollars.”
“We spent less than $5,000, while they
spent $5.6 million on the campaign,” she
added.
Food & Water Action, the political
affiliate of Food & Water Watch, celebrated
the defeat of Proposition 3, noting that it
would have favored corporate agribusinesses
at taxpayer expense by funding dams and
other infrastructure projects that would funnel
more water to special interests.
“California voters were wise to vote down
Proposition 3, a measure that would have
saddled our state with $9 billion of new debt
to send more water to corporate agribusiness,”
said Adam Scow, California director of Food
& Water Action. “California’s water problems
cannot be solved until the state brings agricul-
tural water use in harmony with the realities of
our supply.”
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive
Director of Restore the Delta, issued a
statement crediting Sierra Club California for
the defeat of the water bond:
“Credit for defeating Proposition 3 right-
fully goes to Sierra Club California. Their
leadership on this effort to stop Prop 3 has
created yet another funding challenge for CA
WaterFix and other environmentally-disas-
trous water projects. Moreover, defeating this
measure has prevented Big Ag from receiving
a massive handout without the proper legisla-
tive oversight. We are grateful for the Sierra
Club’s great work to stop Prop 3 and congratu-
late them on a job well done!”
Supporters of Proposition 3 were disap-
pointed by the defeat of the measure on
election night. “While the result of last night’s
vote on Proposition 3 is disappointing, I’m
optimistic that California water suppliers
can overcome these challenges through their
proven history of innovation and dedication
to a sustainable California water future,” said
Timothy Quinn, executive director of the
Association of California Water Agencies.
ACWA’s Board of Directors unanimously
supported both Proposition 3 and Proposition
68, which was approved by voters in June
2018.
“Proposition 3 would have provided $8.8
billion in general obligation bond funding
for water projects intended to provide safe
drinking water to disadvantaged communi-
ties, implement the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act (SGMA), repair infrastruc-
ture and restore watersheds. It also would have
dedicated funding to improve water supply
reliability, which in turn benefits California’s
food production and economy,” according to
Quinn.
The Sierra Club, Food and Water Action
and Restore the Delta also commented
on the election of Gavin Newson as the
governor-elect.
“We endorsed
Newsom and are happy
he got elected,” said
Sierra Club California’s
Philipps. “He is going
to be a good governor
for the environment.
We believe he will be
more attentive to nature
resource issues than the
previous two governors
have been.”
Food & Water Action
also welcomed Gover-
nor-elect Newsom -
and invited him to take
statewide action on
fracking and oil drilling
that Governor Jerry
Brown failed to enact.
– and to halt Brown’s
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in this new era for California, we want to
energy, which must include bans on
make it perfectly clear what kind of water
fracking, neighborhood drilling, and
policies, programs, and projects we want to
the swift closure of the dangerous Aliso
see the Newsom Administration pursue and
Canyon gas field,” said Scow. “We also
implement.”
urge Governor-elect Newsom to change
The group has created a petition stating
course and drop the costly and unneces-
exactly what steps Governor-elect Newsom
sary Delta tunnels project.”
should take to secure a sustainable future
In October, Governor-Elect Newsom
for California water, and will deliver it to
told George Skelton of the Los Angeles
Times that he will keep building the Cali- him on day 1 of his new term. The steps
fornia WaterFix, but would like to scale it include:
1. “We do NOT want the CA WaterFix
back to one tunnel.
“I’d like to see a more modest proposal, project to break ground and irreversibly
destroy the Delta. Massive twin tunnels are
but I’m not going to walk away. Doing
not the 21st century solution we need to
nothing is not an option…. The status
modernize California’s water conveyance
quo is not helping salmon,” Newsom
systems. This project can and should be
said. For more information, go to: http://
stopped immediately;
www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-
2. Our state’s existing water infrastructure
skelton-john-cox-gavin-newsom-califor-
nia-governor-debate-20181011-story.html MUST be upgraded to protect not only our
state’s water storage facilities and supplies,
Newsom’s first major action regarding
but the public’s safety;
water issues on the morning after the
3. Local, sustainable water projects and
election does not portend well for those
programs must be funded, supported, and
seeking to restore California’s imperiled
implemented in communities across Cali-
salmon and steelhead populations.
fornia. Not only will sustainable projects
The State Water Resources Control
increase our self-sufficiency and regional
Board postponed a decision on a plan
that would have provided increased water water supplies, but these projects will
flows for the San Joaquin River and Delta also decrease our environmental footprint
and create well-paying jobs throughout
after Governor-elect Gavin Newsom
California.”
joined Governor Jerry Brown in signing
The petition is available at: https://www.
a letter requesting more time for negotia-
change.org/p/governor-elect-gavin-new-
tions over the plan.
som-steps-for-governor-elect-newsom-to-
It is clear that the public must put
modernize-ca-water
heavy political pressure on Newsom to
support salmon and
steelhead resto-
ration and stop
the environmen-
tally destructive
*Trolling
Delta Tunnels
Motors
plan. Restore the
*Fishfinders
Delta has created
a petition urging
*GPS
Newsom to do the
*VHF
right things on Cali-
Radios
fornia water – rather
*Radar
than continuing the
*Batteries
policies of Jerry
and
Brown.
Chargers
Restore the
Delta stated, “We
ONE DAY SERVICE
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have survived the
on Installations with appointment
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election and have
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selected a new
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