In this article from the Bee last Monday, and seeing the emerging political consensus that might be hinted at in these visits, should gives us all hope that the public leadership needed to resolve this terrible deficit in our safety from flooding, will follow through and act on what all agree is an emergency situation.
Eroding confidence: House members see levee woes firsthand
Doolittle, Matsui and key fiscal leaders look at what must be fixed.
By Deb Kollars -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 27, 2006
Two influential leaders of the House of Representatives studied Sacramento area rivers and levees from every vantage point this past weekend, and on Sunday declared their commitment to helping solve the area's flooding risks.
"We're going to do everything we can," said Rep. Jerry Lewis, a longtime Republican lawmaker from San Bernardino County.
Lewis spoke Sunday morning from the top of a Sacramento River levee in the Pocket-Greenhaven area. He was on his third day of tours and briefings, which included bus travel and a helicopter ride over the region's waterways to learn more about the ailing flood control system in Sacramento and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Lewis was in town at the invitation of Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin. Joining them were Reps. David Hobson, an Ohio Republican, and Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento.
The visit by Lewis and Hobson marked a significant step in elevating Sacramento's flood concerns at the national level.
The two hold powerful posts in Congress. Lewis is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which doles out federal dollars. Hobson heads the Appropriations subcommittee on water and energy, which reviews flood control projects.
Lewis said they would study how "Uncle Sam" could help state and local leaders solve Sacramento's flooding risks.
Sunday morning's tour began with the House members scrambling down the side of a levee near 43rd Street and Riverside Boulevard to inspect a crumbling erosion site.
"If you walk over here, you can see how deteriorated the levee is," said Stan Wallin, a project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "It won't be long before this tree topples in."
Shaking their heads, the lawmakers climbed back to the levee top to hold a news conference.
The winding river made a peaceful backdrop, though the clouds above were restless, a sign that the sunny spell of recent days soon would be overtaken by rainstorms.
"You can look at maps. You can look at charts," Hobson said. "But until you get on the ground and especially up in the air, you cannot appreciate the degree of the problem."
It was the second time in a week that high-ranking politicians had gone up in helicopters to view the rivers and levees.
On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also took an aerial tour. They were joined by Matsui; Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy; Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River; Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo; and local flood experts.
On Friday evening, citing the helicopter ride, Schwarzenegger took the sudden and unusual step of declaring a state of emergency on Central Valley levees. The governor announced he would spend up to $100 million in state reserve funds to repair 24 critical erosion sites.
In addition, Feinstein and Pombo pledged to try to get a separate $36 million for Sacramento levees through an emergency supplemental funding bill for the current fiscal year.
