In this column from the Bee Friday, March 3rd , Dan Walters reminds us of infrastructure politics, and most importantly, informs us that the $222 billion infrastructure plan pushed by the Governor, should be larger.
From our perspective, while agreeing a lot more funding is probably needed, we feel proper distribution of the existing $222 billion proposal could do wonders, particularly for flood protection.
For instance, just to provide the Sacramento area 500+ year level of flood protection will require about $5 billion for a major new dam on the American River, and another $5 billion to raise Shasta Dam the 200 more feet it was originally engineered for, tripling its storage capacity.
As a small percentage of the proposed infrastructure plan, this distribution could render the capitol of California pretty secure against any major flooding for a long time.
Here is an excerpt.
Dan Walters: Population growth underscores urgency of infrastructure projects
By Dan Walters -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, March 3, 2006
It's still very uncertain whether Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislators will agree on some version of the governor's 10-year infrastructure improvement plan.
The chances of something being done in time to make the June primary ballot are quickly dissolving, and the odds are no better than 50-50 that something will make the November ballot for two very big reasons - sharp disagreements among politicians and influential interest groups over the size, scope and fine-print details, and election year politics.
If anything, wrangling over the details has become more intense as various "stakeholder" groups have ramped up their lobbying to gain and/or protect pieces of the pie, and as Schwarzenegger has boosted what he wants the state to spend on levee improvements, citing the potential threat of a Katrina/New Orleans-scale flood disaster should levees give way.
Schwarzenegger continues to push levees, highways and other elements of his $222 billion infrastructure scheme in the public realm, telling reporters Thursday that "we know we need to build" and reacting negatively to suggestions inside and outside the Legislature to scale back the $71.5 billion in state bonds that are the centerpiece of the plan. Schwarzenegger boosted the bonds this week from $68 billion to finance levee work even if the federal government doesn't contribute.
Purely political factors also are making themselves evident. A new Field Poll indicates that voters are responding favorably to Schwarzenegger's infrastructure crusade, elevating his approval ratings as he seeks re-election. Democrats must decide, therefore, whether they truly want to give the Republican governor a legacy achievement or will merely string him along for public consumption and then torpedo it.
As this multifaceted political drama plays itself out in the ensuing months, however, no one should doubt that the issue itself - investing in public facilities that have been neglected for decades - is vital, as a new report on population growth underscores.
California's population, Department of Finance demographers concluded, expanded by nearly 3 million during the first half of this decade, thus putting it on a well-worn track to add about 6 million in this decade - just about par for growth in the last quarter-century.
