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With less than four months left until a critical deadline when the Salton Sea will begin to shrink rapidly, residents and activists are pressing for California officials to secure funding and act quickly to avert a costly disaster. Some people who live around the lake are driving to Sacramento for a Thursday meeting of the State Water Resources Control Board, which is considering an agreement between several agencies that would commit state officials to following through with pledges of building thousands of acres of ponds, wetlands and other dust-control projects around the lake over the next 10 years.

The first time Jerry Brown was governor of California, his greatest policy defeat came when resentful Northern Californians voted almost unanimously in 1982 to reverse a legislative vote authorizing a massive ditch around the delta of the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers. This was called the Peripheral Canal; it aimed to bring Northern California river water to the farms of the San Joaquin Valley and cities in Southern California.

The State of California on Friday released data on dam safety in California which found nine percent of dams statewide fall below satisfactory and could pose potential hazards in severe storms or earthquakes—including nine dams in San Diego County. The data previously, kept secret due to terrorism concerns, was disclosed after the Oroville dam spillway failure triggered concerns raised by the public and media, including East County Magazine, which recently put in a request for dam safety data in San Diego.

The 54 dams in San Diego County are in pretty good shape, though some could present dangers in extreme circumstances, the state Department of Water Resources announced Friday. The agency’s Division of Safety of Dams released assessment data on 1,249 dams under its jurisdiction that included downstream hazard classification and any reservoir restrictions. The information reflected the most recent physical inspections and “comprehensive re-evaluations” by DSOD engineers and engineering geologists, as well as technical analyses performed by dam owners, according to the agency.

The San Diego County Water Authority has asked a court to throw out a June lawsuit that aimed to open the door on private meetings long held by authority board members. A 245-page court filing submitted by the agency in July hits back at public-interest attorney Cory Briggs’ “unsupported” allegation that agency board members are holding secret meetings that should be opened to the public.