I for one, hope the bill to reduce the already skimpy amount of water from each flush goes down the drain; but seriously, the environmental leadership we look for from our public leaders would be that of addressing flood control from an optimal perspective, by controlling the flood waters with dams before they threaten levees not really designed for optimal flood control.
And, one also hopes executive public leadership responds more to California's needs than winning ratings points.
An excerpt.
Green bills await governor's pen
Measures will test Schwarzenegger's environmental resolve, activists say.
By Judy Lin - Bee Capitol BureauPublished 12:41 am PDT Sunday, September 10, 2006
Emboldened by the success of California's anti-global warming initiative, environmentalists are now eyeing other green bills that they believe can help save the planet.
More than 20 high-priority bills are on their way to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk, including one on flex-fuel cars and another that would mandate cleaner power plants. There are less publicized bills such as one that would require most grocery stores to offer plastic bag recycling, and another that would reduce the amount of water used in every toilet flush.
However stringent or unusual, each will test the Republican governor's environmental resolve, advocates say.
"It's the opportunity between having a good year vs. a great year -- and, most significantly, a legacy for the governor," said V. John White, legislative director of the Clean Power Campaign, a nonprofit coalition of environmental, scientific and public interest groups working to expand the use of renewable energy.
For the past two years, the California League of Conservation Voters has given Schwarzenegger a 58 percent rating on its environmental score card based on bills most important to the environmental community.
Former Gov. Gray Davis, in contrast, received 85 percent in 2001, 75 percent in 2002 and 100 percent in 2003.
