CALmatters Archives

OPINION: A Political Deal Comes Full Circle

It was late one night 40 years ago and Gov. Jerry Brown’s most important piece of legislation was in trouble. Brown wanted the Legislature to approve a 42-mile-long “peripheral canal” to carry water around the environmentally fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, thus closing the last major gap in the massive state water system that had been the proudest achievement of his father, ex-Gov. Pat Brown. The canal authorization bill, however, was stuck in the state Senate Finance Committee. Twelve of its 13 members were evenly divided and the 13th, a cantankerous Democrat from San Jose named Alfred Alquist, wasn’t even in attendance.

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OPINION: ‘Moving The Rain,’ Creating California

I explained how that invention necessitated the invention of the grandest water-moving system in the history of man. It was a system magnificently built, and it allowed us to erect two if not three world-class cities and the most intensive farming region in the world. But the system was now cracking, and it surely would not see us into a future of more houses, and more nuts, and the havocs of climate change teaming up with the havocs of our own nature: drought and flood, wildfire and mudslides.

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Liability Law Could Burn Water Districts

May 29, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Dan Morain

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is in bankruptcy largely because of wildfire costs. Now, water districts are seeking protection against California’s fire-related liability law, believing their financial stability is at risk even if their actions and operations had nothing to do with causing a fire.

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Gas-Powered Engines, Democrats’ Turmoil, And Clean Water

May 27, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Dan Morain

A million Californians don’t have clean water when they turn on their taps. Most live in farm towns like East Orosi, as the New York Times detailed last week. And no policymaker doubts there is a problem. The question: How to raise the money to fix the problem. The cost of a solution is pegged at $140 million a year. That should be easy in a $213 billion budget. It’s not, evidently.

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Opinion: Key Conflicts Roil California’s Ever Evolving Waterscape

May 15, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Dan Walters

As 2018 was winding down, one of California’s leading newspapers suggested, via a front-page, banner-headlined article, that the drought that had plagued the state for much of this decade may be returning. Just weeks later, that same newspaper was reporting that record-level midwinter storms were choking mountain passes with snow, rapidly filling reservoirs and causing serious local flooding. Neither was incorrect at the time, but their juxtaposition underscores the unpredictable nature of California’s water supply.

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Drawing Lines On Privacy, Wildfire, Water And Schools

May 15, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Dan Morain

The nation’s first big-city ban on the use of facial-recognition technology by municipal agencies and local law enforcement passed Tuesday in San Francisco, signaling the next front in the debate over data privacy. Voting 8-1, supervisors in the tech hub made an exception for federally regulated facilities, like the airport. Oakland is considering a similar measure, and San Francisco Assemblyman Phil Ting has authored a more limited statewide version. SF police actually don’t use facial recognition. But privacy advocates say other law enforcement agencies do (San Jose, San Diego, California Department of Justice), that the technology can violate privacy, and that it can be inaccurate, especially with subjects who are not white men.

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Storage Is Essential For California To Achieve 100% Green Energy Without Blackouts

May 12, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by S. David Freeman

California’s law mandating 100% carbon-free electricity has a big hole in it. It fails to address energy storage. Batteries as well as other longer-duration energy storage solutions are absolutely essential for a reliable supply of electricity that relies largely on energy resources such as solar and wind, which are available only some of the time. Ordinarily, one might assume the state’s utilities would invest in large storage projects such as pumped storage, an efficient technology allowing the capture and storage of excess renewable energy so we don’t have to waste it. When the sun is shining or the wind is blowing during the day, it pumps water uphill.

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5 Takeaways From Newsom’s Revised Budget Plan

May 10, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Judy Lin

Buoyed by California’s strong economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent state lawmakers a revised budget on Thursday that boosts his already-hefty January proposal to $213.6 billion. Ka-ching! Public schools will reap most of the gains if the Democratic-controlled Legislature rolls with him. Newsom also upped his ante on the housing crisis with a proposed $1 billion more to combat homelessness. Still, Californians can expect some fiscal debate: Some Democrats want to go further on Medi-Cal spending, and others are leery of Newsom’s tax ideas, such as the sales tax break he wants to give on tampons. And Newsom acknowledged the lessons of past budget exuberance, sounding for all the world like a certain frugal predecessor. Here are five key takeaways:

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OPINION: How Better Wastewater Management Can Help California Adapt To Climate Change

May 9, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Caitrin Chappelle and Henry McCann

Our public health relies on wastewater management to treat sewage and remove pollutants coming from our homes and businesses. This system is fundamental to protecting our health. In California, treated wastewater also is a critical source of water for the environment, and, increasingly, a source for recycled water. Climate change is worsening water scarcity and flood risks. Advancements in engineering and technology can help prepare wastewater agencies for a changing climate. But significant shifts in policy and planning are needed to address these challenges. Wastewater agencies must reliably remove pollutants even as the quantity and quality of the water they treat declines during droughts, and when large storms push their equipment to the breaking point.

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OPINION: Californians Must Pitch In To Make Drinking Water Safe For Everyone

May 9, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Emily Rooney and Jennifer Clary

It’s a mistake nearly every farmer has made when something breaks down on the farm. You try to patch it up as best you can. And then you do it again. And then maybe again before you finally decide to stop throwing good money after bad and actually fix what’s wrong.

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