Schwarzenegger Promotes Canal, Dams During Visit by Interior Secretary Salazar, Included is a transcript of   a Q and A session with various legislators

by Dan Bacher, editor of the Fish Sniffer
April 16, 2009 -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today promoted his plan to build a peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and more dams when he joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for an "aerial tour" of the Delta, followed by a press conference.
 
Schwarzenegger's canal and dams proposal will only worsen the collapse of Central Valley Chinook salmon, delta smelt, longfin smelt and other Delta fish. And of course, those most impacted by state and federal water policies that have resulted in the collapse of the California Delta ecosystem - Delta farmers, recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen, California Indian Tribes and Delta residents - weren't invited to the photo opportunities.
 
"This is the third year of drought and this is a reminder to all of us that it is critical that we have to upgrade California's aging water infrastructure," said Schwarzenegger. "So we must do everything we can to have clean water, to have reliable water supply for the future. We must invest in our future and protect our precious resources. And it is critical that we fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem and that we provide water storage, above-the-ground and below-the-ground water storage."
 
However, Salazar was very noncommittal and vague when asked by a reporter where he stood on a peripheral canal and more dams.
 
"You know, the reality of it is that there is a set of issues here that we need to work through in a way that recognizes the passion and the history that essentially brings farmers to fight for every single acre-foot of their water and municipalities to fight for their water, for environmentalists to fight for the endangered species issues which are so critical to them," said Salazar." So there's a lot of passion about these issues."
 
"But I do believe that there is enough at stake here and this drought that we are in, in California today, may be really the impeller, the impeller with the leadership of the Governor, with the leadership of the General Assembly, the Members of the House of Representatives, some of who are here today, others who are not, like Congressman Miller on the Senate side, or Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer, to really help us move with a way forward that will address."
 
Salazar pointed out what he thought were three fundamental issues:
 
• First, how we deal with the issues of municipal water supplies so municipalities will have a reliable water supply;
 
• Secondly, how we address the issues of ecosystem restoration and take care of endangered species;
 
• Thirdly, how we address the realities of agriculture and the economics that come along with agriculture.
 
"So those issues are all on the table, they have been on the table for a very long time," added Salazar. "But frankly, there has not been enough of an impetus, really, to get us to a successful global solution of those issues. And it's my hope that with the leadership of the people here in California that the Department of Interior can play a helpful role -- a helpful role -- in helping us craft that plan for the future."
 
Following the aerial tour, the Governor and Secretary Salazar announced $260 million in economic stimulus projects from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) to help California address its long-term water supply challenges and "devastating drought conditions," according to a statement from the Governor's Office.
 
The statement failed to note the so-called "drought" was manufactured by massive drawdowns of water in State Water Project and Central Valley Project reservoirs in 2007 and 2008 to supply water to drainage-impaired land in the Westlands Water District and Kern County and fill Diamond Valley Reservoir in southern California.
 
When Schwarzenegger met with President Obama in Washington, D.C. last month, he gave him a letter requesting an "immediate allocation" of $200 million in federal economic stimulus funds provided to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that would allow hundreds of "water management" projects to proceed immediately, including water conservation, groundwater storage, water recycling and others. Many of these projects will now be funded with the allocations announced today.
 
There is no doubt that some of these projects will benefit fish and wildlife, particularly $109 million to build fish screens at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, $4.5 million to restore the Trinity River, $26 million for a Battle Creek Salmon/Steelhead Restoration project, and $4 million to broaden scientific knowledge of Klamath River sedimentation. However, $4 million going to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan for "conveyance systems" to move Central Valley Project and State Water Project water is an ominous development, since "conveyance" is Schwarzenegger's code word for building a peripheral canal.
 
Even more ominous was the statement that "the Governor is committed to updating our state’s aging water structure with a strong focus on conservation, environmental protection and increased storage." The Governor is trying to re-package the "co-equal goals" of "ecological restoration" and "water supply" that allowed the CalFed Process to engineer the current ecological collapse on the California Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast.
 
Schwarzenegger touted his peripheral canal and dams plan, backed by Senator Dianne Feinstein, as the "solution" to the problems of the Delta and praised his controversial Delta Vision and Bay Delta Conservation Plan processes.
 
"Last July, the Governor and Senator Dianne Feinstein proposed a compromise plan to the legislature to update California’s water system that would put the state on the path toward restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, expanding water supplies and promoting conservation efforts that will ensure a clean, reliable water supply for California," according to the Governor's Office.
 
The most encouraging news from today's tour and press conference, besides Salazar's announcement of funding for long-overdue fish restoration projects, was that Salazar didn't endorse Schwarzenegger's peripheral canal and dams proposal.  
 
 
 
Funding for Projects Announced Today:
 
$40 million for immediate emergency drought relief in the West, focused on California. These investments will allow for the installation of groundwater wells to boost water supplies to agricultural and urban contractors, the facilitation of the delivery of Federal water to Reclamation contractors through water transfers and exchanges, and the installation of rock barriers in the Sacramento Delta to meet water quality standards during low flows;
 
$109.8 million to build a screened pumping plant at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam to protect fish populations while delivering water to agricultural users irrigating approximately 150,000 acres;
 
$22.3 million to address dam safety concerns at the Folsom Dam near Sacramento, which is currently among the highest risk dams in the country for public safety;
 
$8.5 million to repair water-related infrastructure at Folsom Dam;
 
$20 million for the Contra Costa Canal to protect water supplies for 500,000 Californians and to build fish screens to restore winter-run Chinook salmon and the endangered Delta smelt;
 
$4.5 million to restore the Trinity River and honor the Federal government’s responsibility to the Native American Tribes;
 
$26 million for Battle Creek Salmon/Steelhead Restoration project, which will help restore fisheries that support thousands of jobs in northern California.
 
$4 million to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan for conveyance systems to move Central Valley Project and State Water Project water, habitat restoration and adaptive management;
 
$4 million to broaden scientific knowledge of Klamath River sedimentation for future management decision-making;
 
$20.7 million in smaller water infrastructure and related projects across California.
 
 
 
Partial Transcript of Governor Schwarzenegger Discussing Economic Recovery Investment in California’s Water Infrastructure
 
Time: Noon
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Event: Press Conference , Hangar Area, California National Guard at Mather Field, 10616 SuperFortress Avenue, Mather, CA
 
SECRETARY SALAZAR:
 
Good afternoon. We just came back with Governor Schwarzenegger, viewing the Bay Delta and understanding the conflicts and the opportunities as well that exist here in the Bay Delta. So I appreciate the opportunity we had so spend some time together.
 
This afternoon what I wanted to do was to come here to California and to announce what we are doing with respect to the investment of the $1 billion that we received for the Bureau of Reclamation and Water Projects. A very significant portion of that will go to jumpstart the economy here in California. We'll invest in the water infrastructure of this state.
 
I’m pleased that, as we move forward with this effort, that Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Congresswoman Doris Matsui and leaders from the California Legislature are here today. Grace and Doris are key members of the United States House of Representatives and have been very helpful in helping me understand the important issues of California with respect to water.
 
President Obama asked me to be Secretary of the Interior and when we were working on putting together a stimulus package he was very clear about the kinds of projects that we ought to be looking for; those are the kinds of projects that were shovel ready, job creation kinds of projects. And the kinds of projects that we have put together here for the Bureau of Reclamation, many of which will be here in California, are those kinds of projects.
 
I told the Governor this morning that President Obama and this administration will walk shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of California as we address the issues of drought and water. President Obama is committed to fixing the problems that we face around the nation, inducing the problems that we face here in California.
 
The human suffering here in California is all too real. Farmers are not able to plant. Workers in many communities and counties where we now have 30 or 40 percent unemployment rates are without jobs because of the fact that there are not going to be crops to harvest. Schools are going empty as parents lose their jobs and families move away. The drought is a stark reminder that California's water system, much of it build half a century ago for a population that was half as large as it is today, has reached its limits.
 
But throughout our history Americans have turned times of crisis into moments of opportunity. That is what we must do today. It is time to modernize, it is time to make hard choices and it is time for the federal government to reengage in full partnership with the 21st century water system for the state of California. That is why the Department of Interior, through one of the agencies that we oversee, the Bureau of Reclamation, is immediately investing in America's water infrastructure as part of President Obama's Economic Recovery Plan.
 
As part of President Obama's Economic Recovery Plan, of the $1 billion that has been allocated to the Bureau of Reclamation, more than $260 million of that will go directly to water infrastructure and drought relief here in California. We are targeting $40 million for short-term drought relief projects, much of this funding focused on California. We will dig new groundwater wells, facilitate delivery of federal water to reclamation contractors through water transfers and exchanges and stretch our water supplies to help farmers, businesses and communities that are hurting.
 
But we are also boosting water supplies by making a down payment -- this is a down payment -- as well, on the modernization of California's water infrastructure at more than 30 projects across the state.
 
We will build, for example, a new screened pumping plant at Red Bluff so that we can deliver water to irrigate 150,000 acres, while at the same time protecting wildlife.
 
We will upgrade infrastructure on the Contra Costa Canal to protect water supplies for half a million Californians and to restore the winter run of the Chinook salmon and the Delta smelt.
 
We will help municipalities install systems to reuse and recycle their water, because every gallon conserved is an extra gallon of supply.
 
And we will help restore the salmon and steelhead fisheries that support thousands of jobs in the Central Valley by restoring approximately 42 miles of Chinook salmon and steelhead habitat in Battle Creek.
 
I'm also proud to be in Sacramento today to announce that our Economic Recovery investments will help fix our nation's aging water infrastructure. We are investing more than $20 million in Recovery Act funds to address flood risks at the Folsom Dam, which currently is one of the nation's highest risk dams for a possible breach.
 
Each of the water infrastructure projects in California that we are funding through our Economic Recovery Program will help create new jobs in engineering, construction and manufacturing. And each of these projects is ready to go. Each is a high priority for President Obama, each meets the high standards for project selection that President Obama has given to me and each will help secure a sustainable water future for the state of California.
 
By themselves, of course, these investments cannot and will not solve all of the problems that we face. But they are a first step and they will help us rebuild a partnership between the federal government and the people of the state of California so that we can build a sustainable water future for the children and grandchildren of this state.
 
I am proud to have so many people who have joined us here today, including Governor Schwarzenegger, Congresswoman Napolitano, Congresswoman Matsui, Senator Steinberg and Assemblywoman Bass and so many others who are here today.
 
Let me just say Governor Schwarzenegger, as I have watched him over the years, has always been a problem solver and if there ever was a need in America, today we need problem solvers one, to help fix the economic crisis that we find ourselves as a nation today, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. And secondly, we need problem solvers to help fix the kind of water situation that we find ourselves in here in this valley.
 
And so with that, what I'd like to do is to turn it over to Governor Schwarzenegger.
 
GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:
 
Thank you very much, Secretary Salazar, for your kind words and for being out here. Thank you very much for taking an aerial tour of our levees so you see firsthand the challenges that we are facing here in our state with our water system, with our infrastructure, water infrastructure and so on. And we also want to say thank you for your tremendous interest that you have in helping us solve our problems. And we also appreciate your announcement of the $260 million Recovery Act funding for our projects out here that will be used for drought relief and for water projects. I want to thank you for that.
 
It's very obvious that we have a serious crisis here in California. This is now our third straight year of drought. In February I declared a state of emergency when our reservoir storage was at an all-time low, which was we were below 50 to 75 percent of storage.
 
Our water crisis continues today. We have to do everything that we can to work together. We are so grateful for the recent rainfall, of course, that we had here in California. But of course it was literally just a drop in the bucket, because the fact is we still don’t have the infrastructure in place to keep this water; it's still running out into the ocean.
 
This is the third year of drought and this is a reminder to all of us that it is critical that we have to upgrade California's aging water infrastructure. Our infrastructure has stopped being built in the '70s, in the early '70s. It started in the late '50s throughout the '60s. But then, under the Reagan administration, it was stopped because there was obviously a dispute on who is going to pay what, between the federal government and the state. And so since then we have been suffering because of that, because the infrastructure that is in place right now is for 18 million people but definitely not for the 38 million people that we have now in our state.
 
So we must do everything we can to have clean water, to have reliable water supply for the future. We must invest in our future and protect our precious resources. And it is critical that we fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem and that we provide water storage, above-the-ground and below-the-ground water storage.
 
And as you all know, we believe very strongly that we can't fix all of this without the help of the federal government and so this is why it was so good to have Secretary Salazar come out here and to talk to us, work with us. It is important to have them at the table. We want to have them there on the funding side, on the regulatory side and also on the implementation side.
 
That is why today's visit of the Secretary was so important to us, because it symbolizes that they intend to be at the table and to help us rebuild our infrastructure. We must work together in order to fix California's water system for the sake of our economy and for the sake of our environment also.
 
So again we want to say thank you very much to the Secretary for coming out here and now I would like to bring out our next speaker, which is Congresswoman Napolitano. Please welcome her. Thank you.
 
CONGRESSWOMAN NAPOLITANO:
 
Thank you, Governor and thank you Secretary Salazar. It is a great pleasure for me to be here, having served in the State Assembly and now in Washington D.C. on issues that are so critical for California.
 
We've got to be sure that we thank President Obama for his stimulus package and certainly Nancy Pelosi, because specifically in the area that I handle, which is water and power, there is $126 million coming in for water recycling, whereas we have a backlog in the Bureau of Reclamation of almost $500 million and their ask under the previous administration for this year's budget was $7 million. So you understand how critical it is for us to be able to move that water, to be able to clean it, to be able to put it back to good use in our area.
 
Secretary Salazar is a great boon for us because he understands the issues affecting the western states and the Public Lands Management Act -- which includes 30 separate water bills passed by my subcommittee, the Water and Power Subcommittee, under HR 146, just signed recently, March 30th -- and it authorizes water conservation, water reuse efficiencies, including vital Title 16 water recycling projects.
 
Now, those of you that don't know water recycling, or may have some inkling about what it is, it is additional water that can be made available not only for business but it's also sometimes used for agricultural use. And the more we save the less we have to use potable water. And given the global warming, the evaporation, we need to store more water, we need to recycle more and we need to conserve more. So investing in these renovations of projects and reconstruction of our aging water systems and in conversation with my colleague, Doris Matsui -- it's been 50 years in some areas where we have not done any upkeep of our infrastructure. It ought to create at least, I don't know, thousands of jobs for southern California, besides the projects, whether it's engineering, construction and all of those areas. But more importantly to me and to many who are feeling the water crunch, is it will add almost 500,000 acres, square feet acres, of recycled and reclaimed water.
 
Again, these projects represent a bipartisan effort in Congress. Title 16 projects in the Senate Bill 22 help Madera, Rancho California, Santa Margarita. The list goes on. And it also includes some areas for green technology utilization. And more importantly for me and many like me is the buy American issue. We need to keep those jobs here. We need to be able to employ our folks and be able to begin a process of economic recovery.
 
The act -- I call it the ARRA, American Recovery Reinvestment Act -- passed earlier funded critical water projects. The Bureau of Reclamation received 1.1 billion for water and hydroelectric programs, 2 billion in funding for drinking water infrastructure, 689 million for wastewater, State Revolving Fund Program, 145 for drinking water. Title 26, I just mentioned, 126 million, plus 50 also slated for programs and projects authorized by the California Bay-Delta Restoration.
 
There's a lot more work. As the Governor has pointed out, as has Secretary Salazar, a lot of work to be done. This should be but the beginning. But we also need the cooperation of the general public in understanding that water is precious and not only do we need to conserve it, we need to restore some of the aquifers and clean up some of our areas. It is for our future that we must work for also.
 
We look forward to working with the State Legislature, Senators and the Assembly members who are on the Water Committees, especially Speaker Bass, so that we may begin to together formulate that which will bring more assistance to California, to not only upgrade infrastructure but to be able to help the recovery through jobs creation and money infusion.
 
Now it's my pleasure to introduce my colleague, a great lady who has been a tremendous asset to your area, is Congresswoman Doris Matsui.
 
CONGRESSWOMAN MATSUI:
 
Thank you very much, Grace. And I want to thank Secretary Salazar, Governor Schwarzenegger and Darrell Steinberg and Grace Napolitano and also my good friend Darrell Steinberg for being here today in my home district of Sacramento.
 
It's an honor to have Secretary Salazar here today to be with us and so grateful for his leadership on such an important issue. The funding just announced is going to be key to our state and region's response to this and future droughts. And let me just also say that I want to also mention that the Joint Federal project up at Folsom Dam is very, very important, $22 million. And I have to also note that it is a partnership between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers, which historically had not worked together. So I think this might be a new way that we're going to be proceeding.
 
Sacramento is unique in that we are located at the confluence of two great rivers, the Sacramento, the mother river and the great American River. And we see the affects of climate change and drought right here in our back yard. Both the Sacramento and American Rivers and their tributaries are a source of great prosperity and also great peril. In good years they provide us with fresh water, recreation and tourism and miles and miles of beautiful scenery. But depending on their water level, whether it's too high or too low, they can cause great harm.
 
As global warming intensifies, scientists predict greater storm intensity that could forever change these rivers flow patterns. This means in my district we'll have to cope with more rain rather than snowpack in the Sierra. But also in years of drought less runoff and less secure water supply. California's Department of Water Resources projects that the Sierra Nevada snowpack will experience a 25 to 40 percent reduction by the year 2050 and these are not empty numbers. They represent real impacts of climate change that translates into serious risk for our constituents and our economy.
 
As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, we are developing a comprehensive Climate Change Bill, we're working closely with President Obama, Secretary Salazar and our colleagues in Congress to make this a priority and a reality this session.
 
Here in California the state is leading the way in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. We talk about this all the time in Congress. However, California and the entire United States will need additional resources to adapt to the realities of climate change. Water resource strategies, both structural and policy solutions, will need to be coordinated between state, local and federal leaders and agencies. And states, with strained budgets and growing needs, will require federal funding and leadership in order to adapt and protect our communities.
 
Such pressing issues threaten our lives, livelihoods and millions of Californians. We appreciate the administration's commitment to helping Californians weather this drought and modernize our water infrastructure.
 
Thank you for being here today, Secretary Salazar and for your personal commitment to a sustainable water future for all of California.
 
And with that I would like to bring up my fellow Sacramentan, Darrell Steinberg, President pro Tem of the State Senate.
 
SENATOR STEINBERG:
 
Thank you very much, Congresswoman Matsui, for being such a great member of Congress and great partner in so many efforts.
 
I too want to welcome Secretary Salazar to Sacramento and to thank him and President Obama and the federal government for being an active partner in helping solve our water crisis here in California. For as Californians, we can do a lot but we do much better when we have a real partner. And to Congresswoman Matsui and Congresswoman Napolitano, thank you as well.
 
Governor Schwarzenegger, it is great to be here with you and with Speaker Bass talking about something other than the California state budget. Because the truth of the matter is, there are a whole lot of positive things to work on here in this state in addition to solving that crisis and water is at the top of the list. I'm very happy as well to be joined today by my colleague, the chair of the Senate Water Committee, Senator Fran Pavley. Fran, welcome to you.
 
The Speaker and I and the Governor are actually very bullish on water and we intend to work together and we already are working together, to make 2009 the year that we get a major series of water agreements done in California. Speaker Bass and I have already convened bipartisan and bicameral legislative meetings with the goal of having in legislative form a comprehensive fix to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta on the table this legislative session, along with new funding for water supply reliability and infrastructure investments.
 
The Governor has been sounding the siren on this issue for a number of years and we're prepared to work together to get it done. We have legislative engagement from Democrats and Republicans, from Senators and Assembly Members alike. And we will break the gridlock on water resources in this state and solve the issues once and for all. We'll do so not only as a state government but in partnership with the federal government as well.
 
Finally, I want to compliment the Secretary, the President, the Governor and the others here as well for not succumbing to the old arguments that the economy and the environment are polar opposites and can't work together, that they are in fact dependent upon one another. The Obama administration's policies in this area are striking new ground, avoiding the old arguments and creating new partnerships and opportunities. We thank you. And now it is my privilege to introduce my legislative partners, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.
 
SPEAKER BASS:
 
Thank you, thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. First of all, let me congratulate Secretary Salazar for his appointment. Let me welcome him to Sacramento and California and let me thank him and President Obama for bringing these vital resources to California. I had the good fortune, as you did today, last week of getting up in the Blackhawk Helicopter and touring the Delta; one by helicopter but also by boat, coming from southern California, having an opportunity to see and learn and understand the significance of the Delta was a very, very important opportunity.
 
As Senator Steinberg mentioned, we do have a bicameral, bipartisan working group on water and I'm happy to be joined today with the chairperson of the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee in the Assembly, Assembly Member Jared Huffman. I’m also joined by Assembly Member Wesley Chesbro and Assembly Member Alyson Huber.
 
And I think it's an example from the Assembly of the leadership that we have on this issue and the commitment that we have, exactly as Senator Steinberg said, that this year we have been grappling for weeks and several months with the budget and we're very happy to have a little bit of breathing room so that we can work on other issues that are vital to California. We recognize that we have a historic opportunity to work together to address these issues.
 
The Governor's Delta Vision Taskforce and Cabinet Committee recommended in January that we adopt a new vision for the Delta. We in the Legislature have since set to work to reshape the law and policy for the Delta of the future and I'm happy to be working with the Governor on this. And so what you see demonstrated here today is the leadership from the Governor's Office as well as both Houses of the Legislature. We also look forward to working closely with the Secretary, with the Governor's Office and Senators Boxer and Feinstein and also our legislative leaders from Congress that are here today.
 
Mr. Secretary, thank you for coming. We know that this won't be your last visit to California. With more than 7 million acre-feet of water rights under your jurisdiction, with more endangered species than any other state and with 1,100 miles of the nation's most precious coastline, I know California's environmental needs and challenges will be a priority for you and for our President.
 
Thank you very much.
 
QUESTION/ANSWER:
 
SECRETARY SALAZAR: Thank you very much. And with that, we'd be happy to take a few questions. We're running a little bit late on time but let's take two or three questions. Yes?
 
QUESTION: A question for the Governor.
 
SECRETARY SALAZAR: I called on her. Go ahead.
 
QUESTION: I’m sorry, my fault.
 
QUESTION: Secretary, you said that it's time to make hard choices with California's water supply and some of those hard choices have been what has led to gridlock here in California with new dams, a new conveyance system around the Canal. How do you come down on some of those choices?
 
SECRETARY SALAZAR: You know, the reality of it is that there is a set of issues here that we need to work through in a way that recognizes the passion and the history that essentially brings farmers to fight for every single acre-foot of their water and municipalities to fight for their water, for environmentalists to fight for the endangered species issues which are so critical to them. So there's a lot of passion about these issues.
 
But I do believe that there is enough at stake here and this drought that we are in, in California today, may be really the impeller, the impeller with the leadership of the Governor, with the leadership of the General Assembly, the Members of the House of Representatives, some of who are here today, others who are not, like Congressman Miller on the Senate side, or Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer, to really help us move with a way forward that will address, I think, what the fundamental issues are here:
 
· First, how we deal with the issues of municipal water supplies so municipalities will have a reliable water supply;
 
· Secondly, how we address the issues of ecosystem restoration and take care of endangered species;
 
· Thirdly, how we address the realities of agriculture and the economics that come along with agriculture.
 
So those issues are all on the table, they have been on the table for a very long time. But frankly, there has not been enough of an impetus, really, to get us to a successful global solution of those issues. And it's my hope that with the leadership of the people here in California that the Department of Interior can play a helpful role -- a helpful role -- in helping us craft that plan for the future.
 
Yes?
 
QUESTION: There are some folks west of Fresno, some residents there in the farming area have been protesting all week, holding marches, complaining about a lack of water for that area. Is there anything in what you're announcing today that will help them?
 
SECRETARY SALAZAR: The answer to that is yes. We are putting money into the Stimulus Package that will include some emergency drought measures, including the possibility of the creation of a water bank where water will be identified to be able to create a 100,000 acre-plus water bank, the construction of wells that will help deliver water to those places that need it.
 
So there is some relief that is on the way. And I feel in my heart very much for those people who are being affected by the drought, the members of the United Farm Workers of America. Cesar Chavez was a friend of mine and the people who are part of the United Farm Workers of America are people who I care a lot about and I know the kind of suffering that they are currently undergoing because of the fact that we don’t have water to be able to produce the crops on those farms where they would be working. And so our hope is that some of the money that we have made available today will help address water supplies that are needed to help the agricultural community and those particular farm workers.
 
I also want to say, though, that we are not going to be able to have the same kind of water supply that we had back in 2006. We are in a very tough time in California, which is now going into the fourth year of a drought situation. And so there are going to be people affected and what we need to do, as government, is try to do as much as we can one, to deal with the immediate issue but then secondly also to try to deal with the systemic issue, which the Governor and the members of the General Assembly and others have been trying to develop a solution to the systemic issues here on the Delta. And I hope that that's where we ultimately get.
 
Yes?
 
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, some of the folks who are damaged by the lack of water want you to bring back the God Squad. Could you discuss the God Squad and why you don't have any intention of bringing it back?
 
SECRETARY SALAZAR: The God Squad is essentially a formation of federal law that essentially allows all environmental laws to be overridden to deal with an emergency of the time. That is not the solution here.
 
The solution that we are looking at is one that's going to have to be comprehensive in nature, that takes into account the huge variations that we are seeing in water supply. If you look at the water supply statistics from 2006, '07, '08 and '09, you know that there are ups and downs. And so what really is called for here is not a quick fix, run over everything kind of approach but instead the kind of approach that Governor Schwarzenegger and members of the General Assembly, Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer, Representative Miller, they're talking about. How can we get people together to address this issue in a systemic way? That's really what this drought calls on us to do more than anything else, because we don't want to be in this same kind of situation in three or four years.
 
One of you had a question for the Governor and I interrupted you.
 
QUESTION: Governor, the $260 million that was announced today as part of the federal stimulus package, how does that translate into jobs in California, especially in the short term? And secondly, what kind of progress are you making in negotiating a new water bond package to go on the ballot next year?
 
GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, first of all, we always made it clear, as you know, with our infrastructure, that any money we get from the federal government -- we are so ready to go and to put people to work immediately because we have the permits, we have everything ready to go. All we need is just some of the additional money. So we will use this money right away. As it comes in we will be able to use it and create jobs.
 
But when you talk about the overall strategy of getting a water deal done, it's something that we have talked about now for the last five years. Before I came into office other governors have tried to do it and talked about it. I think that the sad story really is that until there's an emergency there's not much action that takes place sometimes in the legislature on the state level and also on the federal level. And I think that, as you remember, that with the levees, we have the most vulnerable levees in the United States and no one paid any attention to it until Katrina happened. Then all of a sudden there were $4.6 billion made available so we could start rebuilding the most vulnerable areas of our levees.
 
And the same here is now. I mean, you talked about the protests that are going on now, with thousands of people out there protesting, farmers that are suffering. They are protesting -- and I don't think that this money is going to help them right away. They need help that we solve the overall problem that is four decades old. We have not done anything since the early '70s.
 
And I think it's about time that we recognize that we have 20 million people more. And that we also recognize that by the time this is built there will be another 10 to 15 million people more. And so we've got to build something for 45 million, for 50 million people, rather than for 38 million people, because by the time we are finished it will be outdated again.
 
So I think that we have to have a big vision. I think it's very complicated, as are all of those big issues, if it's health care reform, budget reform, water infrastructure. Those are very, very complicated issues because there are so many stakeholders out there and they all have different opinions.
 
And I think that what Secretary Salazar said just earlier, he's going to bring us together and I think this is a great thing. He came out here to look at this situation and Secretary Salazar made it very clear that he wants to go and be the facilitator and bring us all together, from the Senate, Congress, the White House, his office, Democrats and Republicans, stakeholders, everyone together and to come to an agreement, a final agreement and just go ahead then and start working on this project. I think that everyone at the Capitol is talking about it, that this is the summer that we're going to get it done.
 
...
 
SPEAKER BASS: Excuse me. We did want to add in that precisely what both Senator Steinberg and myself talked about in terms of our water working group, that we're working on in bicameral, bipartisan fashion, is to do exactly what you said. And we are in close contact and negotiation with the Governor's Office, as you mentioned.
 
 
GOVERNOR: I'll try.
 
QUESTION: I’m sure you're aware of the --
 
GOVERNOR: Otherwise I have Steiny here, I have Karen here --
 
QUESTION: Right.
 
GOVERNOR: I have a lot of help. I have a lot of help here. (Laughter) We are all on the same side of the fence, so --
 
QUESTION: This time. I'm sure you're aware of that Angel's pitcher who died of a DUI crash with two others last week. Come to find out that the suspected DUI driver accused in this case was driving on a suspended license. And so, apparently, he was stopped two other times by law enforcement and they never checked his license. Do you think it's time to have that conversation of maybe mandating that law enforcement check licenses no matter what? Or is it just -- all of southern California is talking about it.
 
GOVERNOR: I don't know the details of this, but I just can tell you that usually law enforcement is very efficient. I think, without any doubt, we have the best law enforcement in the country. And they usually always check that, so it could have been, as there are human errors and mistakes being made. But I'm sure that everyone is looking at that to try to find out why did that happen, and try to improve on it and see what we can do in order to improve on it in general.
 
But those are sad cases. It's terrible to have someone be that stupid, to drive again when he knows he was caught several times driving drunk. I think that is just the worst of the worst. It's one thing to make a mistake. It's one thing that it happens one time and all of those kinds of things. I understand that.
 
But when you get caught over and over, and then to go and drive like that and start killing people -- this is really extraordinarily painful, not only for his family but for everyone that was involved, the people that died, their families. For everyone involved there is huge damage. So anyway, I hope that we can cut down the amount of drunk driving that's going on.
 
QUESTION: (Inaudible)
 
GOVERNOR: No, I cannot, because I have to still -- you know, this was, when I got here, I just heard that there was an announcement being made of the $260 million. Yesterday I didn't know about it. So we are going to analyze what that means.
 
But like I said, we have a huge advantage in California. Unlike other states, we have dealt with infrastructure so much in the last three years, because we had it on the ballot, it was approved by the people, $42 billion, then the additional $8 billion of building 53,000 new beds, then the additional almost $10 billion for the high-speed rail.
 
So we have dealt with this issue, including water infrastructure and building our levees and all this, so we are ready to go. Any money we get we can put to use immediately, because that's what we are doing right now, is building the infrastructure, fixing our water systems and all of this.
 
But the thing that I'm really concentrating on is to get the overall agreement where everyone comes together so that we can put this on the ballot next spring or next summer and that we can start building our infrastructure for a potential of 50 million people, because we need water. We are in a total emergency and short of water.
 
Thanks very much.