The obvious need for dams, which Senator Feinstein recently realized and called for state democrats to also accept the obvious, has moved this bill along somewhat, but there is such a resistance to any new dams that some leaders are still seeking a backdoor way to stop them.
One hopes reason prevails and the dams stay, protected from future legislative removal.
Water deal forms, its fate unknown
Dams a key issue; Assembly hasn't weighed in yet.
By E.J. Schultz - eschultz@fresnobee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, November 17, 2007
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Senate's top Democrat are nearing a compromise on a $10 billion water bond for the February ballot, but a fight over who oversees the spending still could scuttle the deal.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata said in an interview Friday that he hopes to close the deal today and put it up for a vote the week after Thanksgiving.
"We're very close right now," said Perata, D-Oakland, who only a month ago had abandoned hope of reaching a compromise. "Not everybody gets what they want here, but they get what they need."
Both parties have agreed to make about $3 billion available for dams, which had been a major sticking point. But Democrats, who have a majority in the Legislature, want to be able to oversee the spending on a yearly basis, which Republicans aren't willing to grant.
"We believe that that creates a trap door for them to basically not approve the money for the surface storage projects," said Sen. Dave Cogdill of Modesto, the GOP's lead negotiator on water.
