"We were completely rolled" said one Contra Costa County Supervisor,
and that pretty much says it all. Bay Area and Delta Counties are none
too happy with the new water deal, and taxpayers may soon join that
sentiment... here's the situation as we see it:
The legislature
has passed a sweeping water bill that will shore up the Delta, enact
truly needed environmental and some seismic fixes, while not completely
guaranteeing a canal or more volume for Southern California. On the
other end, Delta Counties are going to have to give up some land use
authority over to a new state agency, which itself will likely become
the target of some distress for its "Coastal Commission" like
authority. Also, though the environment is a clear winner in the deal,
the environmental community is fairly split on the deal as-is.
We're
actually seeing some parallels to the current healthcare debate in
Washington -- a deal that may well pass, but with plenty for everyone
to hate in it and the added bonus of both political divides and
geographic loyalties. It's a recipe for an epic throwdown...
The
package itself is replete with the typical questions over
accountability, and it may sound crazy, but even the enviros are
criticizing the package for pie-in-the-sky economics. And moreover,
$11 billion is a heck of a lot for taxpayers to swallow if it doesn't
guarantee more water to Southern California. A canal (or more likely,
a tunnel) would cost another $13 billion (at least), though that money
would come directly out of SoCal water districts (i.e. ratepayers).
That
said, the alternative to the bond is pretty bleak. Whatever your
thoughts on the pumping restrictions ("Delta Smelt" has become pretty
much code for SoCal and Conservative animus towards green policies and
hippie/vegan/49er loving NorCal), the habitat protections aren't going
anywhere without broad environmental fixes for the Delta. On the other
hand "Canal" is NorCal and Green community shorthand for a toxic ditch
sucking Calfiornia's soul to Real Housewives and Dodger fans.
Also,
anyone who's ever seen projections of even a mild earthquake in or near
the Delta can tell you it makes Katrina look like a broken sprinkler.
The loss of life and property would be horrific, and the main hub of
the state's water supply would turn to saltwater within about a day.
Oh, and geologists say NorCal is due for a 1906-scale quake sometime
int he next 20 years.
Even absent a quake, heavy rains have
the potential to overflow levies more or less at-will. So while the
politics of this are sure to get ugly, the necesity of action may win
out.