The Mercury News Archives

OPINION: Prop. 3 Is Pay-To-Play Water Bond For Billionaires

September 15, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Eric Parfrey

Proposition 3 is an irresponsible approach to California’s water problems. The nearly $8.9 billion bond was crafted behind-the-scenes, contains critical elements that could directly harm the environment and turns important water policies on their head. The bond substantially benefits billionaire stakeholders and is a bad water deal for Californians. Bond proposals are best created through a legislative process that is transparent and open to the public. Instead, the Proposition 3 authors have taken a clandestine approach from the start.

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OPINION: PRO/CON: Is Prop. 3 A Water Fix Or Billionaires’ Windfall?

Proposition 3 would issue $8.9 billion in general obligation bonds for a range of water infrastructure projects. The funding breakdown includes $2.4 billion to restore and protect watersheds and another $4.1 billion for disadvantaged communities seeking to improve their water infrastructure. Prop. 3 would also allocate $640 million for groundwater improvements and $500 million for safe, affordable drinking water. Yes: Initiative’s main backer says Prop. 3 will meet state needs as population grows and climate changes. No: Sierra Club leader says Prop. 3 benefits billionaire stakeholders and could harm the environment.

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OPINION: Stop The Delta Debacle Before Property Owners Get Gouged

September 6, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Ed Clendaniel

Call it the Big Gouge. Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration will try for a third time to secure a political mega-deal that would commit millions of California property owners to pay for the $19.9 billion Delta twin-tunnels water grab. Without approval of voters or the Legislature. It’s an atrocious abuse of the political system that must be stopped. Blocking the effort would save property owners thousands of dollars over the next 20-40 years and help preserve the health of the Delta for the next generation and beyond.

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OPINION: Next California Governor Must Focus On Climate Adaptation

September 4, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Jim Wunderman and Jonathan Parfrey

California’s efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions have made the state an icon in the fight against climate change, a status validated by Gov. Jerry Brown hosting the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco next month. Yet despite its success, California is only slowly beginning to take action to help communities adapt to the brutal changes in our climate already well underway. California’s next governor should focus on climate adaptation as an urgent priority to protect California’s businesses and residents — particularly the elderly and the poor — from the ravages of climate change.

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OPINION: Stop Gov. Brown’s Sleazy Last-Minute Delta Tunnels Bid

August 30, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)

In what would be the sleaziest maneuver of Jerry Brown’s tenure, a legislative committee suddenly has rescheduled a hearing for Thursday morning that would allow the state to move forward with the governor’s $19.9 billion Delta tunnels water grab. Without a vote of the Legislature, without a vote of the people, and without legislative oversight.

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California Water Regulators Help Target Black Market Marijuana Farmers

August 8, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /The Mercury News (San Jose)

After Riverside County deputies raided an unlicensed cannabis farm in the small, unincorporated community of Aguanga, they found nearly 3,000 plants growing scattered between the brush. The tip that led Sgt. Tyson Voss and his team to that illicit farm last month came from a source you might not expect: the Cannabis Enforcement Unit of the California State Water Resources Control Board. The state water agency created a pilot cannabis team four years ago to investigate marijuana growers in Northern California who divert or pollute waterways in their effort to profit via cannabis.

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OPINION: Block Outrageous Effort To Lock In Delta Tunnels Water Grab

August 8, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /The Mercury News (San Jose)

Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is now trying to jam through a political deal that would enable construction of his $17 billion Delta twin-tunnels project, the biggest public works project in state history, without the approval of the state Legislature, the voters or ratepayers who would be footing the bill. Brown’s state Department of Water Resources suddenly plans to extend State Water Project contracts, with amendments, for another 50 years. Fifty years! That would allow water contractors backing the twin-tunnels project to lock in water contracts for the Delta tunnels project before Brown leaves office at the end of this year.

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Hot July Is Fueling California’s Summer Wildfires

July 31, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Lisa M. Krieger

The calendar says it’s the first of August. But an unforgiving early wave of heat means that California’s landscape feels as dry as September, igniting a deadly wildfire season up and down the state. Hot and dry as a powder keg, recent weather has accelerated the normal drying of western landscapes, turning vegetation into kindling, say weather experts. Even nights are warm. “Fuels are really really dry. It’s closer to what we should get by late summer or early fall,” said professor Craig Clements, director of the Fire Weather Research Lab at San Jose State University.

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$1 Billion Coming To Bay Area For Two New Dams

July 23, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Paul Rogers

During California’s recent five-year drought, it was common to hear people asking why the state doesn’t build more dams. On Tuesday, flush with cash from voters, the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to finally do just that, committing nearly $1 billion to build two huge dam projects in the Bay Area, and another $1.5 billion for six more big water projects from the Sacramento Valley to Bakersfield. The California Water Commission, whose eight members are appointed by the governor, will likely vote to fund $2.5 billion overall for the eight projects — four new dams and four groundwater storage proposals.

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OPINION: Recommendation Will Help Preserve Delta’s Health

July 10, 2018/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)

The State Water Resources Control Board provided a voice of sanity to California’s water wars Friday. The board, which oversees California’s water rights issues, recommended significant increases in the water flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in order to preserve its long-term health. Whew. What a relief. It’s a welcome departure from Southern California and the Trump administration’s non-stop efforts to send more water south at the expense of the Delta’s water quality and eco-system.

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