The week that was, 11/1-7/2009

Posted on | November 7, 2009 | 2 Comments

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Passing an entire package of water bills takes a herculean effort, and, in this case, the load was carried to a remarkable extent by just a few legislators who led this effort. Assemblyman Mike Feuer and Senators Fran Pavley and Joe Simitian were authors of bills that evolved dramatically after endless committee hearings and were swept into this final package. They’ve been working on these bills for two years or more. But the heaviest lifting in the legislature was done by Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg and Assemblyman Jared Huffman. — Barry Nelson, On leadership and the water package,” NRDC Switchboard, November 6, 2009

qx4Ofm“And let me tell you, it is a historic agreement, it’s an agreement on a water package that is the most comprehensive water package in the history of California.” — Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Los Angeles public signing of two of five new pieces of water legislation, “Speeches,” Office of the Governor, November 6, 2009. Via Aquafornia

“I know what it takes to do historic legislation. When I was Speaker I was a part of a few initiatives as well.” — Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa introducing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the public signing in Los Angeles of two of five new pieces of water legislation, “Speeches,” Office of the Governor, November 6, 2009. Via Aquafornia

They built a castle next to the Gardens, and diverted water around the Cape of Good Hope Castle for a moat. So you can see that the first conflict (between indigenous inhabitants and the settlers) was not around land, but actually around water. — “Bid to tap city’s ‘Sweet Waters,’ The Argus, Capetown, November 3, 2009, via ProQuest

Pork barrelWe would not have witnessed the enactment of this historic legislation without the tremendous work and leadership of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and leaders from both sides of the aisle in the Senate and the Assembly. — Thomas W. Birmingham, General Manager of the Westlands Water District, November 5, 2009, via Aquafornia

under questioning Tuesday, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg admitted the amendment would earmark $10 million for his pet project, a cultural tolerance center in Sacramento. — Dan Walters: “Earmark story underscores big differences,” Sacramento Bee, November 6, 2009, via Aquafornia

“I wanted to make sure we get our fair share of dollars.” –– Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-San Gabriel Valley, “Water bond could bring millions to perchlorate clean-up, water recycling,” San Gabriel Valley Tribune, November 5, 2009

It would be a tragedy and a blow to national security if we did not have Westlands,” Congressman Jim Costa, D-Fresno, Westlands Water District is a powerhouse for Valley Farmers, Fresno Bee, November 7, 2009

Here’s a prime example of pork. Assembly member Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, refused to vote for the water bond bill. So the bill was put on call. Some time later, the bill suddenly had $100 million for the San Vicente Reservoir in Saldana’s district. She voted for the bill. — Legislature rolls dice on water,” Sacramento Bee, November 5, 2009

“I don’t make a penny, never have, on his contract. I never lobbied a single director in the back room, using tactics of any sort to support him in any way or means to push for the contract.” — Al Contreras, director, Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District Board, “Board backs off contract for relative,”  Whittier Daily News, November 5, 2009

Enterprise“Their taps are going to run dry in three years. We should be running full-page ads in the Atlanta papers, ‘Worried about Water?’ ” — Richard Meeusen, chief executive, Badger Meter Inc., a Brown Deer-based maker of water meters, “City may use water to lure businesses: Job-creating firms could get break on water bills,” Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, November 2, 2009

“I’ve done a Christian [-based] training program; I have a Muslim training program and a Jewish training program coming up, also a Hindu program coming up. I trained 200 Christian ministers and lay leaders here in Nashville in a version of the slide show that is filled with scriptural references. It’s probably my favourite version, but I don’t use it very often because it can come off as proselytising.” — Al Gore, “The evolution of an eco-prophet,” Newsweek

Uh-ohEighty-five percent of the ice cover that was present in 1912 has vanished. — “Mount Kilimanjaro ice-cap continues rapid retreat,” New York Times, November 2, 2009

“You don’t need to tell people who are fighting everyday to get water that there is a crisis.” — Abdulrahman Al Eryani, Yemen’s minister of Water and Environment, Christian Science Monitor, November 5, 2009

According to the [Amnesty International] report, Israelis use 400 liters per capita/day and the Palesinians only 70. The World Health Organization’s recommendation for the sustenance of a basic lifestyle is 100 liters per capita/day. — The hydraulics of Holocaust,” Arab News, November 1, 2009

Prolonged drought has affected 1,279,000 people in east China’s Jiangxi and Fujian provinces. More than 990,000 people in Jiangxi are short of drinking water, said Sun Xiaoshan, deputy director of the provincial flood control and drought relief office. — “More than one million people short of drinking water in East China,” BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific, November 6, 2009, via ProQuest

“Landslides are inevitable in areas near the reservoir as water levels change,” said a spokesman for the Three Gorges Corporation. — “Three Gorges water plan postponed,” BBC News,  Beijing, November 5, 2009

Not for nothing is the Indus River known as the Aqua Bomb. — Water wars; Unless we quench our thirst, our demand for water could lead to the next resource war,” The Times of London, November 5, 2009, via ProQuest

limit…the attorney general’s office argued before the state’s highest court yesterday that the Department of Environmental Protection can impose limits on the amount of water municipalities draw from aquifers, rivers, and lakes. — “State can limit water use,” Boston Globe, November 4, 2009

Comments

2 Responses to “The week that was, 11/1-7/2009”

  1. David Zetland
    November 8th, 2009 @ 11:02 am

    Sarcasm: Our elected leaders are really doing everything they can to make sure that our water and our money go towards programs and policies that create the greatest benefits for the largest number of citizens.

  2. Tim in Albion
    November 9th, 2009 @ 9:33 pm

    Brilliant blog post!

    Surprised not to see “corruption” in there as well, but I suppose the post would have exceeded browser limits…

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