Louisiana, with so much at stake, has made a good public policy decision by requiring levee board members to know what they are doing and focus solely on it.
Let’s hope it works, and that California is paying attention
An excerpt.
Voters merge levee boards
Support strongest where effect greatest
Sunday, October 01, 2006 , By Frank Donze, Staff writer
A citizens campaign to abandon politics-as-usual culminated Saturday in an overwhelming statewide vote to consolidate southeast Louisiana's balkanized system of levee boards and replace them with flood protection authorities that will be governed for the first time by appointees with expertise in fields such as engineering and hydrology.
The amendment to the state Constitution, which also strips levee boards of responsibilities and assets unrelated to flood control, was one of 11 amendments on a list of 13 that appeared poised to win voter approval, with 97 percent of precincts counted. The ballot also included races for secretary of state, insurance commissioner and a host of local offices.
"It's a great victory for people who want to see Louisiana crawl out of the dark ages," said state Sen. Walter Boasso, the Arabi Republican who authored the levee board legislation and, with Gov. Kathleen Blanco's support, steered it through a resistant Legislature. "Finally, we're seeing some light of reform."
With only pockets of tepid opposition visible, the amendment enjoyed widespread backing across the state, garnering support from eight of every 10 voters who went to the polls.
