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Two appointed regulatory boards likely continued to set back the state’s economy for decades to come this month.
The State Water Resources Control Board rejected a compromise agreement between some environmental groups and water exporters to set firmer limits on the amount of water than can be diverted from the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin Delta to serve urban and agricultural users. That includes about 2.7 million Bay Area residents including those in the Livermore Valley served by the Zone 7 Water Agency. In normal years, about 80% of Zone 7’s water is supplied through the big pumps north of Tracy and conveyed through the South Bay Aqueduct. That also supplies the Fremont area.
The state project was never finished after it was constructed in the 1960s. Instead, water is pushed south from the Sacramento River through the Delta to the pumping stations. That creates a north-south flow instead of the natural east-west flow and has caused some species to fish to crater and become endangered. That has led to pumping restrictions.
Gov. Jerry Brown, in his first stint, tried to finish the project with the Peripheral Canal that was defeated overwhelming by an unusual coalition. One of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s better moves was to create a Delta task force to reexamine the issue that led to the current proposal for the tunnel under the Delta. Given this ruling, it’s now more necessary than ever.
The other ruling came from the State Air Resources Board that was empowered by Schwarzenegger’s worse legislation, AB 32 that gave it the authority to set the standards to cut carbon use dramatically based on the theory of global warming, now dubbed as climate change. That’s led to soaring Pacific Gas & Electric rates as well as an effort to ban natural gas for heating. Electricity rates are up 27% in the last two years, while gasoline prices are up 21%, That’s on top of paying about $1,50 more than the national average for gas.
The board is supposed to consider economic impacts and, with the exception of two courageous members, ignored the impacts particularly on families in the lower socio-economic category who spend a higher percentage of their income on gas than the Telsa drivers living along the coast. The rules, among other things, will not allow registration of diesel-powered motorhomes.
All-in-all a train wreck for many families struggling to pay the bills despite Gov.Gavin Newsom’s special session to pander about gas prices. Why would any oil company invest in a state with the policy of putting them out of business.
One recent positive of the lame duck Biden Administration was a major grant to the Port of Oakland that is designed to provide electric vehicles for all of the cargo handlers. Given the detrimental impacts of the existing vehicles on the health of the surrounding neighborhoods, it’s good move.
Interesting contrasts between San Ramon and Pleasanton leaders. The soon-to-depart Pleasanton council majority jammed the half-cent sales tax increase on the ballot despite opposition. It went down resoundingly. In San Ramon, council members—some very longstanding such as Mayor Dave Hudson and Scott Perkins, placed a 1-cent sales tax increase on the ballot and it’s passing by about the same margin Pleasanton’s lost. A lesson there.
One other notable result: After messing up the District Attorney’s Office in San Francisc,o George Gascon moved to Los Angeles and was elected with the help of lots of George Soros money. His offender-favorable policies got him thumped in his re-election campaign by a 60-38 margin in unofficial results. Voters have defeated most of Soros’ criminal-focused district attorneys in the last couple of years when their policies came home to roost.
