In this editorial from today’s Bee, we see the ongoing politics of flood protection slowly winding its way through the capital, like a meandering stream seeking the sea.
Here is an excerpt.
Editorial: Real flood protection
Is amended bill workable or watered down?
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Levee protection in the Central Valley tends to be a game of catch-up, with flood control agencies scrambling to protect areas where local governments have approved new development.
AB 1899, scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Local Government Committee today, aims to alter this dangerous game of catch-up. Known as the "show me the levees" bill, the bill requires cities and counties to verify that areas slated for development have adequate flood protection - or will soon have that protection - before any homes are built.
As originally written by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, AB 1899 would have allowed local governments to do this certification. On the advice of legislative counsel and the attorney general's office, Wolk amended the bill Monday and handed the certification job to the state Reclamation Board.
The bill would require that before any local subdivision maps are approved in a flood zone, the Reclamation Board would have to certify that the area has "200-year protection" - protection against a one-in-200 chance of flooding in any given year - or has a plan in place to provide that protection in five years.
