Tell the Assembly Special Committee to say, "NO" to the proposed water bond

By Bill Jennings, Executive Director, CSPA
August 20, 2008. Over the next week, the California State Assembly will be deciding whether or not to place a water bond calling for the design of a peripheral canal on the November ballot.

CSPA is asking you to take special action on behalf of protecting the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Please call the members of the Assembly Special Water Committee (numbers are below) to let them know that you oppose this proposed bond for the following reasons:

1) The peripheral canal will exacerbate California’s present water crisis and make meaningful and successful solutions more difficult.

2) There are bond funds left from previous to begin doing the work needed to protect Delta levees.

3) No bonds should be approved until the Department of Water Resources answers the three questions it has consistently refused to answer: a) How much water does the estuary require to maintain ecosystem integrity? b) How much surplus water is available for export? c) What interim or emergency measures are necessary to avoid catastrophic fisheries collapse?

4) A peripheral canal and diversion of fresh water around the Delta will turn the estuary into a toxic cesspool and forever prevent the restoration of the Delta's pelagic and salmonid fisheries.

5) A peripheral canal will sacrifice a 2 billion dollar Delta agricultural economy in order to support a billion dollars of Westlands agriculture that, by the nature of irrigating selenium laced soils, discharges millions of pounds of salts and massive quantities of toxic selenium back into the San Joaquin River.

6) We want a water bond that would provide funding to tap into California’s annual 7 million acre-foot virtual river of water conservation and efficiency, desalination, water recycling and conjunctive use programs. This will provide far more “new” water at less cost than dams and a peripheral canal.

Please call today. Below are the phone numbers and email addresses.

Thank you,

Bill Jennings, Executive Director
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.

Lois Wolk - Chair Dem-8 (916) 319-2008
Assemblymember.wolk@assembly.ca.gov

Bill Maze - Vice Chair Rep-34 (916) 319-2034
Assemblymember.maze@assembly.ca.gov

Juan Arambula Dem-31 (916) 319-2031
Assemblymember.arambula@assembly.ca.gov

Mike Eng Dem-49 (916) 319-2049
Assemblymember.Eng@assembly.ca.gov

Mike Feuer Dem-42 (916) 319-2042
Assemblymember.Feuer@assembly.ca.gov

Bob Huff Rep-60 (916) 319-2060
Assemblymember.huff@assembly.ca.gov

Jared Huffman Dem-6 (916) 319-2006
Assemblymember.Huffman@assembly.ca.gov

Rick Keene Rep-3 (916) 319-2003
Assemblymember.keene@assembly.ca.gov

Paul Krekorian Dem-43 (916) 319-2043
Assemblymember.Krekorian@assembly.ca.gov

Doug La Malfa Rep-2 (916) 319-2002
Assemblymember.lamalfa@assembly.ca.gov

John Laird Dem-27 (916) 319-2027
Assemblymember.laird@assembly.ca.gov

Mary Salas Dem-79 (916) 319-2079
Assemblymember.Salas@assembly.ca.gov

Karen Bass -- Speaker of the Assembly Dem-47 (916) 319-2047 Assemblymember.Bass@assembly.ca.gov