The flood control arguments seem to be that the only argument worthy of being made is that at the expense those who build communities by those who would regulate them, and we hope to see balance in all public discussions around the vital issue of flood control.
An excerpt.
Editorial: Governor can salvage Wreck Board he created
- Published 2:29 am PDT Sunday, September 10, 2006
Arnold Schwarzenegger tarnished his legacy as a flood-control governor in 2005 when he fired all members of the state Reclamation Board -- the agency that oversees the Central Valley's 1,600 miles of state-owned levees -- and replaced them with some dubious choices.
The old board was rightly skeptical about developments planned in risky floodplains such as River Islands in Lathrop and Plumas Lake in Yuba County. Both sites were submerged by floodwaters in 1997. Until recently, the new board seemed almost eager to rev up the bulldozers so these developments could rise from the muck.
One of the hard chargers was Cheryl Bly-Chester, a Roseville engineer who ran a quixotic campaign for governor in the 2003 recall election, promising to "rein in the out-of-control regulatory agencies" and "move projects forward." Why the governor decided to appoint this ideologue to a crucial public safety panel remains a mystery to this day.
Soon "Captain Bly," as she became known, was maneuvering the new board into granting permits to Plumas Lake and River Islands. The board skirted the state's open meeting laws and its meetings became increasingly chaotic. Moreover, it consistently failed to provide the leadership the state needs in the post-Katrina era, as former members of the state Reclamation Board point out in an article on the cover of Forum today.
Schwarzenenegger now has some chances to salvage the Wreck Board. Legislation on his desk, Senate Bill 1796, would elevate the status of this commission and give it a structure similar to the state's prestigious Air Resources Board. The nine members of this new Central Valley Flood Protection Board, like those on the ARB, would be paid a yearly salary ($36,000 each) and be subject to stringent conflict-of-interest rules and limits on ex parte communications.
