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Opinion: SB 1 Provides Critical Protection for California’s Beloved Coastline

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Toni Atkins

I didn’t see the ocean until I was 18 years old. That late start didn’t stop me from falling in love with the sea, a love I have pursued in earnest ever since I moved to San Diego.

Here in our community, and in communities throughout California, warming waters and rising sea levels threaten both the coast we love and the people and businesses that are located there. Predictions are, that left unchecked, sea level rise will cause billions of dollars in damage in California and disrupt countless lives.

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OPINION: Gov. Gavin Newsom Should Sign Senate Bill 1 Into Law. Without Its Environmental Protections, Californians Will Suffer

/in , /by /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Jerry Butkiewicz

At least 85 different federal laws and regulations affecting California have been weakened or undermined by the Trump administration since January 2017.

Vital clean air, water, and endangered species standards have been weakened or eliminated, while federal agencies that are supposed to protect worker health and safety are now being run by people with strong industry backgrounds.

That’s why I, along with many proponents, believe that Senate Bill 1 would safeguard our state from the anti-science, anti-environment and anti-worker deregulation derby taking place under the Trump administration.

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OPINION: California Has A Chance To Make Water History

/in , /by /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Jeffrey Kightlinger

California’s contemporary effort to modernize the water system in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta officially began in 2006.

George W. Bush was president Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor. Their administrations signed a planning agreement. And the search for a solution was on.

Thirteen years, two governors and two presidents later, we are all still at it.

We have yet to find ways to stabilize important water ecosystems or the reliability of water supplies for the state economy. And we are going to reach a point where we either collectively fail to achieve these two important goals despite years of efforts, or we move forward in historic and meaningful ways that undoubtedly will not please everyone.

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OPINION: In Going After Trump, California Is Going Too Far With Environmental Legislation

/in , /by /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Adam Gray

Senate Bill 1 by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins would require that California ignore new scientific findings on natural resources and water issued after January 19, 2017, the day before the Trump took office. That’s not an exaggeration. The date is actually listed in the bill 21 different times.

We cannot advance the fight for environmental quality by declaring that all science stopped on a specific date. If it’s dumb for the President to close his eyes to science, it’s dumber for us to follow him down that rabbit hole.

But SB 1 is not just dumb, it’s dangerous

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OPINION: Best Way To Improve California’s Water Situation is Newsom Plan, Not Senate Bill 1

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Reps. Jim Acosta and TJ Cox

Creating a sustainable water future for all Californians is one of the defining challenges of our time. As members of Congress from California, we have been at the center of efforts to solve the difficult problems of providing reliable water supplies for California’s people, its economy, and our environment. There is no silver bullet to that will solve these problems, but what we know is this: all parties must be at the table; the legislative process must be transparent; the goals must be clear and achievable.

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OPINION: Valley Voice: The Legislature Must Rethink SB 1. It Will Hurt Water Management Efforts

/in , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Peter Nelson

If not amended, Senate Bill 1 will perpetuate California’s water and environmental troubles, not help to resolve them, as its proponents claim.

How? As written, SB 1 limits the use of research conducted over the last decade meant to better understand Delta water management and its relationship to fish and wildlife. The State Water Project — funded by ratepayers throughout California, including the Coachella Valley — has spent tens of millions of dollars to improve this understanding.

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