FLASHREPORT

Both houses have passed the bills to delay Prop 18 til 2012.  After a fairly easy Senate vote for the delay bill, the Assembly fought it for a while and passed it out this evening, eventually gaining the 2/3 votes needed.  Interestingly, the arguments for and against delaying ranged from "don't delay it so we can kill an unpopular, bad bond sooner than maybe squeak it through later"  to "we must save this important measure from a certain loss now in 2010 under these dire economic times by delaying it for the voters to decide in 2012"   At any rate, it's now a 2012 question once the Guv signs the bill. 

California's November ballot will be busy with 10 propositions as Secretary of State Debra Bowen has recently certified and today numbered each for the voters to ponder.  9 of them were placed by citizen committees upon gathering the requisite signatures [and spending pretty good dollars to get them in most cases]   The 10th is the $11 billion water bond placed on the ballot by legislative action.  

An interesting point is there are 2 more redistricting measures on this upcoming ballot.  One is to finish the job started by Prop 11 and include Congressional seats in the process that has turned drawing seats for Assembly, State Senate and Board of Equalization over to an independent citizens commission that is being formed right now for 2011.  [Congressional seats were left out in a strategy to increase the odds of passing Prop 11 in Nov. '08 as Pelosi and crew were sure to dump mega dollars to stop it from drawing Federal House seats]

The other measure, cynically, is to remove and deny the citizens commission [before it's even been tried once] and turn it right back over to legislators to draw district boundaries how they see fit.  [look at the current maps and see how convoluted it is when legislators do it]  That's a big thumb in the eye of voters by Democrat leaders who want to take back that power to gerrymander.  Anyway, here are the Proposition numbers as just released.

Prop 18-Safe Clean Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010   [how many times have you heard that title for a bond?]

Prop 19-Legalize Marijuana  [Spicoli rejoices and may become a first time voter]

Prop 20-Redistricting of Congressional Seats [mentioned above, the good one]

Prop 21-Vehicle License Surcharge to fund State Parks  [$18 increase per car annually.  The car tax hasn't been real popular folks...]

Prop 22-Prohibits State Raids on Local Government Funds [forestalls legislative efforts to find new ways to swipe transportation and local dollars by end runs around previous propositions]

Prop 23-Suspends AB 32  [pushes off unreasonable AB 32 state global warming regs until economy and jobs recover]

Prop 24-Repeals Business Tax Credits, Loss Carry Over and Sales Tax Calculation [estimated cost to business of $1.7B...hello, see Prop 23 for job status!]

Prop 25-Eliminate 2/3 Vote For State Budget to Simple Majority [one party can pass any budget, uses legislator pay forfeiture for late budgets as the carrot for voters to approve ]

Prop 26-Increases To 2/3 Vote For Legislature to Pass State Levies and Charges and certain taxes [as well as some local measures not currently required...in the Spirit of 13, 26 is a good number too!]

Prop 27-Eliminates State Commission on Redistricting [gives back to the same legislators the responsiblity that voters just took it from via Prop 11 in Nov '08, with out even using it once]

There you have it.  See the Secretary's press release page for more detail,  www.sos.ca.gov

It is a diverse and attention grabbing group of props that will make for fascinating debate the next 4+ months!

The Governor's deadline approaches for this year's body of legislative work that made it to his desk.  He has only a couple days left to wield his pen over a signature or a veto message on each of the bills...and word is that he may veto most or all of them unless he receives a solution to the water crisis. 

I've long been an advocate for new water supply and storage in this state and I do appreciate that the Guv has kept it as one of his priorities.  I share his frustration that the intractible nature of this debate has found us years later with no real solution.  The closest we came to funding for new storage was in 2006 during the Big Bond debates on flood, schools, transportation, and housing.  Bond proposals were flying all over the Capitol, ringing up to a total of $100 Billion at one time, scaring the heck out of taxpayers and financial advisors all over.  However, Republicans and some Valley Dems vowed to make no deal on a 'water bond' that did not include real water storage.

Alas, as negotiations go, the half-Billion that was the main focus of the water bond was negotiated out of the deal, and voters were left with no new water storage option in any bonds.  Dems were, much like today, hesitant to go against their enviro bosses with any dam project, instead shrouding themselves in the 'fiscal responsibility' argument against spending for new water storage.  Many other bonds get pushed through, but why only on water does 'who's gonna pay for these bonds?' come up in a debate that includes new bond debt! 

Several bonds with the word 'water' in them have been passed the last 15 years, tricking voters into believing a more reliable water supply would come from them.  Rather than increasing the supply, we got more studies, more commissions, more stalling, more habitat restoration for absent endangered species, more debt and more distrust for the next water bond proposal...you know, the 'next bond' that we 'promise to really do new storage' as had been promised by opponents.  So in 2006, voters passed $42 Billion in new bonds, believing about $9B of it would do something to help with water.  The clock is still ticking but it hasn't happened.  

This leads us to today and the current negotiations going on.  After some last minute push at the end of the 2009 session to toss together a water bill, we still have no tangible action.  Same for the end of the 2008 session, a few last minute hijinks to hash out a water bond before term limits caught up with some.  Nothing good comes from hurried-up deals as budget results from the last couple years clearly demonstrate, especially when you are dealing in billions in bond debt.  But this year, even Willie Brown knows that a political price will be paid by his Dems for inaction on the water crisis.  

The outrageous, man-made drought caused by courts and inaction has brought national focus on the plight of farmers and all the jobs affiliated with ag in the San Joaquin Valley, with food-aid from China being brought in to assist jobless ag workers.  Water is needed, and it's available.  Millions of acre feet wash out to the ocean that we could tap but current supply has been shifted, through court decision, away from human use to dedicated environmental uses over the past several years.  

We either need more water supply or to start winning lawsuits against the enviro radicals.  If just one judge can shut off pumps to 25 million Californians, it is very clear that we are all at great risk.  We know we're going to have to change Congress in order to make necessary changes in the courtroom.  Shouldn't we do something about the supply?

In times like this, we should focus on building assets that strengthen our ability to be productive. We must always demand every bond be efficient, but especially within the current fiscal state. It will be very difficult to advocate for any bond unless it is spent on infrastructure that truly helps our economy thrive, as new water would.   

There is no justification for new debt that produces anything less than that.  [Wouldn't we love to have back the bond debt that goes for Stem Cell research, Affordable Housing, or High Cost, I mean High Speed Rail.]  We certainly don't need yet another set of poorly crafted late-night deals that reads more like an enviro group wish list than a solution to California's water shortage.  We need new, real water storage now.  The Governor only has a couple more days to sign bills.  Will he finally be sent a solution that holds water, or just another deal full of empty promises?  The clock is ticking.....

The Tea Party held in Sacramento last Friday served as an inspiration and a warning.  I personally am very gratified that many Californians are speaking out for protecting their incomes from runaway Government spending and appetite for more taxation, as well as the emphasis on the usage of our state's resources for people's needs.  Speaking as a farmer as well as a previous legislator, it is so helpful to have regular Californians stop what they are doing to come to where decisions are made and be seen and heard about these key issues.  

Water usage, rights and water allocation is critical to so many jobs and the rural economy as we witness the devastation of an entire economy and 50% unemployment in San Joaquin Valley counties.  These Tea Party Patriots get that, that it means our state suffers with the jobs loss, the economic loss and the pressure to then raise taxes in a misguided attempt to replace that revenue with higher taxation.

As we watch California burn once again [thank goodness so far it isn't like last year when the statewide fire season started in June and went all summer, with brown, smoky skies for weeks even in Sacramento, not just places like Trinity County that are subject to it so often] the need to have smarter forest management becomes top-of-mind.  Why breathe them as ash and CO2 when we can harvest them a bit and minimize the high rate spread of fire when it does occur?  Plus, most enviro groups that stop wise forest policy are housed in buildings and homes of wood and and use letterhead printed on paper...forest products from cut trees!  

These are also issues the Tea Party Patriots understand and were fighting for at this protest.  Mountain community economies have been devastated as well due to misguided regulations [see: spotted owl]  Again, jobs lost, economy damaged, producers become the needy...a double edged sword as burning forests also are bad for air quaility.  One large fire can produce as much CO2 as a years worth of human activity of entire urban areas.  

There are those that downplay the crowds, [it's harder for productive people with jobs to come out and protest, they arent getting paid-time-off to express their views!] and the Movement in general, such as the name calling of Tea Party protesters and those speaking out on the health care takeover at town halls all over the US.  Terrorists, UnAmerican.  Thats pretty extreme language describing ordinary hard working Americans who are seeking better government; language that should not be forgotten by these citizens, coming from those governing them.  That type of name calling seems even desperate, they must be really worried they won't get their Government Run Health Care through in time before people wake up from the Obama Jedi Mind Trick.  

Thanks to the Tea Party Patriots and others speaking out , Americans are waking up, are more aware and holding government more accountable...and that's a good thing

SB 572, this years version of the "Harvey Milk Day" semi-state holiday bill which Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed last year, is on the file for a possible Senate Floor vote, as soon as this morning.  May 22 would be the offical day that "suitable Harvey Milk commemorative exercises" would be urged to be held around the state, including the school system, if the bill were to pass.  Although it wouldn't take effect in 2009, there will likely be a push to get it out of the Senate by May 22, should it not be taken up on today's floor vote.  

Call the State Senators offices that may be inclined to vote for such a bill [hint: Most Republicans won't need this call] and let em know what you think about SB 572 and yet another "commemorative day" that Sean Penn and Co. would like.  Especially since we consolidate heroic Americans into such holidays as "Presidents Day"   Light up those Capitol switchboards this morning!