So remember the last legislative year? Well, if Arnold follows through on his latest threat, you might as well forget it. He’s threatening to veto every bill on his desk if he doesn’t get a water deal by, um, tomorrow.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today affirmed a looming threat to veto a large bulk of the bills that have been sent to his desk unless lawmakers can strike a deal on a package of water bills.
“I made it very clear to the legislators and to the leaders that if this does not get done then I will veto a lot of their legislation, a lot of their bills, so that should inspire them to go and get the job done,” he said at the end of remarks to the Association of Community College Trustees’ Leadership Congress, which is meeting in San Francisco today. (CapAlert 10/08/2009)
We’ve mentioned the water issue for a long time, but there is no way to overemphasize one critical point: No matter how many projects you build, you do not get any additional water. The rush about getting water for the West Central Valley is toxic to the state government and to the environment.
The West Central Valley is a relatively dry area. The soil is fairly fertile, but right underneath it lies a layer of clay that sucks water away from the topsoil. That means lots of tilling and lots of water. But in order for these farmers, most of which are big corporate operations, to make any real money, water has to be very, very cheap. Unnaturally cheap.
This, of course, is why there wasn’t much agriculture done in the area by the native peoples. It was too inefficient to bring water there. But once we built a slew of pumps, it could be done. The problem is that pumps are expensive, and the farmers of the Western Central Valley don’t want to pay for it.
The Westlands Water District has been getting cheap water for a long time, but they are the bottom rung on the water priority list. They are trying to use the crisis in Sacramento and the drought to get around the contracts that they signed last year putting them at a lower priority in exchange for a lower price.
And Arnold is trying to help them to do just that by threatening, intimidating, and generally being a jerk. And of course, Susan Kennedy, his “Democratic” Chief of Staff, is right there with him. Putting a gun to the head of not only the legislature, but some very important measures.
This is no way to govern. Arnold, You Lie!
UPDATE by Dave: I just want to add to the chorus of how appalling this is. We’re talking about legislative blackmail.
And incredibly, Arnold has an ally in palace courtier George Skelton:
It’s ugly. But it’s an available political tool that the governor would be derelict not to use when an issue as critical as water is at stake.
This isn’t about some narrow scheme important only to a narrow interest. Nor is it merely about a governor’s pet project — other than his legacy-building, which should be encouraged as long as it helps the state. It’s about finally resolving an acute, decades-old problem that is worsening and affects practically all Californians.
Here’s another old white man with health insurance who could give a crap if women get maternity care in their health insurance plans, to just pick one bill at random. Or who could care less if people who have insurance get dropped from it when they want to use it, to pick another. George Skelton would actively make the lives of Californians worse because he thinks it’s sporting to see the Governor “use his power.” That the power is illegal is of no consequence.
Then there’s this whopper:
These and other arguments — such as details of a new governing system for the delta — have raged for years. Schwarzenegger apparently doesn’t much care what the Legislature decides. He just wants it to compromise and send him a bill.
Yeah, he doesn’t care at all. He actually invented the Latino Water Coalition, the fake-grassroots group pushing all the Republican solutions in water negotiations, but he’s really just an innocent bystander. An innocent bystander who would destroy women’s health and allow insurance companies to kill people for profit and a host of other things, all with an asshole like George Skelton cheering him on.
I used to live in Hollywood and heard from those in the industry that this is a fairly typical strategy for the big box office names to get their way. I don’t think it’s a good way to govern.
I think Arnold should be sent to his trailer (or smoking tent if he prefers), where he can call his agent and see if they can negotiate a better deal. Better yet, next time we should elect a Hollywood agent instead of another actor. The agents are good at negotiating. The actors aren’t. That’s why they pay big bucks for agents.
As for the water deal, I heard Senator Joe Simitian talk about the original bills last night at a DFA forum on water. While it sounds like the original authors had the best of intentions, I am afraid the bills Schwarzenegger will try to ram through the Assembly in the upcoming special session will bear little resemblance to them. Since nobody has seen them, it’s hard to say. But my fear is that they will add to the soil salinity that is crippling Mendota, Firebaugh, and other ag areas. That they will further demolish commercial fisheries in the Delta and San Francisco Bay. And that they will continue to bust the budget with general obligation bonds to build the dams and canals–leaving the state with an even bigger debt service load (if we can sell anything anymore on the bond market) that will take more money away from schools, fire protection, and parks. In fact, the state treasurer, Bill Lockyear has come out against the idea of general obligation bonds for water works.
In addition, as the Mercury News noted in an editorial last month, “If the ag industry conserved 10 percent of its current water use, it would provide enough water for an urban area the size of Silicon Valley. This alone could eliminate the need for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s foolish call for more dams….” I drive through the Central Valley monthly. And on every trip this summer I’ve seen overhead sprinklers working during the hottest part of summer days. My water district bans this behavior for residential users because it’s the most inefficient way to water. So I think the Mercury editorial board has a point.
Finally, trying to ram this through in a week will give legislators little time to review the massive changes being made in the original bills. No time for public comment. And possibly land the state in a worse place than we are now–with the looming possibility of more judicial intervention because of badly drawn bills.
“They are trying to use the crisis in Sacramento and the drought to get around the contracts that they signed last year putting them at a lower priority in exchange for a lower price”
Where can I find more information on this point?
arnold wants to abolish it entirely.
…I don’t care. Why should I if the ‘Democrat’ Party and the Party of No don’t.
Let ’em run wild with their fantasies of ultimate power. Their end will be the quicker and the more ugly.
‘A change is gonna come….’
Brian & Robert:
Kudo’s to you both and Calitics for seeing through the “matric” The astroturf campaign is highly effective, and the Westlands Water District, other San Luis Unit Contractors, the Friant Exchange Contractors and Kerns CWA;s Stuart Resnick (the water buffalos; the Hydraulic Brotherhood per Lloyd Carter, or the Hydraulic Billionaire’s club per me) will stop at nothing to elevate their water rights and secure their water privatization dreams.
I and a few other progressives would like to coordinate some major water issue posts on Calitics and DailyKos with you to, so please look for an email from me tonight to discuss.
Well done!
Robert Johnson, Jr.