In this story from today’s Bee, we see some legislators, discussing the current water bond bills, realizing that without dams you really don’t have good flood control, and one of them says it clearly: "To not have water storage be part of this bond is very shortsighted and almost criminal," added Assemblyman Doug La Malfa, R-Oroville. "To me, water storage is the best possible first step for flood control."
Here is an excerpt.
Central Valley lawmakers want reservoir money back in bond package
By STEVE LAWRENCE, Associated Press WriterPublished 12:10 am PDT Thursday, April 20, 2006
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Eight Central Valley lawmakers urged their leaders to restore funding for at least one new reservoir to the package of public works bonds that legislators are trying to put on the November ballot.
They said they would have difficulty voting for the bonds without the reservoir money.
"We need additional storage to keep water for dry years and we need additional storage in wet years to prevent flooding," Assemblyman Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, said at a news conference.
"To not have water storage be part of this bond is very shortsighted and almost criminal," added Assemblyman Doug La Malfa, R-Oroville. "To me, water storage is the best possible first step for flood control."
The four legislative leaders who have been trying to negotiate a bond package said Tuesday at a conference in San Jose that they had agreed to drop the reservoir funding and money for parks and other natural resource projects from the bond package in an attempt to reach agreement.
"At this point in time those elements are out," Senate Minority Leader Dick Ackerman, R-Tustin, said Wednesday. "But that could change tomorrow.
"When you have negotiations things change.... So until you have a final deal it's still fluid. Anybody is free to bring up any subject they want."
He suggested the reservoir funding could be included in a later bond measure if it's left out of one placed on the November ballot.
The reservoir funding has been a major stumbling block since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed putting $68 billion in bonds on the ballot to help pay for highway expansion, school construction, levee repairs and other public works projects.
Schwarzenegger's bond plan included $1.25 billion for reservoir construction. Environmentalists and most Democratic lawmakers suggested that underground storage and additional water conservation were a better approach.
