The Governor’s reaction will determine the fate of this compromise, and any reshaping that might occur, and we assume it will be congruent with his current position with dams playing a role.
Legislators craft flood policy pact
Future development in risk zones is tied to protection efforts.
By Jim Sanders - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, September 6, 2007
Ending more than a year of impasse, a compromise has been reached on wide-ranging legislation touted as a way to reduce flood risk and save lives in California's Central Valley.
The pact attempts to restrict development on flood-prone acreage without imposing building moratoriums or creating significant barriers to community economic growth.
"We can't go back to what we've had before, which is local government sometimes making decisions without taking any kind of flooding concerns into account," said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis.
Emerging in the final two weeks of the legislative session, the compromise creates an unlikely partnership of two lawmakers who have clashed often on flood measures for much of the past year -- Wolk and Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden.
The deal worked out between the two legislators, and among numerous interest groups, is expected to be voted upon by early next week. It involves a package of flood-related bills.
The linchpin, Senate Bill 5, would prohibit new development -- but not until 2015 -- in hazardous Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley flood zones that lack adequate protection.
