Poll Shows Voters Ready to Flush $11 Billion Water Bond in November

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 18 – A majority of California voters oppose the $11.1 billion water bond that the Legislature and the Governor have placed on the November ballot, according to a recent statewide poll conducted by Tulchin Research.

Just one-third of likely voters (34%) support the water bond currently, while more than a majority of likely voters (55%) oppose it. That’s a very weak start for a bond measure, and some of the existing support is likely to drop off as a campaign against the bond ramps up later this year, in the view of opponents of the bond, who released the survey results today. (Please see the attached memo from Tulchin Research for more.)

"Voters recognize this bond as bad water policy and bad fiscal policy at a time when California is drowning in red ink," said Jim Metropulos, Senior Advocate with Sierra Club California, part of the campaign opposing the bond measure. "We need clean water and we need a better water policy, but this bond is not going to get us there."

Pollster Ben Tulchin, who conducted the survey, called the results daunting.

"The challenge for backers of this bond is monumental," said Tulchin. “No statewide bond measure has ever won when a majority of voters opposed it at the outset.”

Support was weak in the poll, even among those voting yes, with just 12% saying they would “definitely” vote yes and 4% saying they merely “leaned” in favor. In contrast, there was greater intensity on the "no" side, with a third of all voters polled (32%) saying they would “definitely” vote no.

"This bond hands out billions of dollars to corporations and other special interests at the expense of California taxpayers," said Adam Scow, California Campaigns Director with consumer rights group Food & Water Watch. "It's no surprise that support for the bond is already weak. We expect voters to reject it in November."

A number of prominent environmental, consumer, and environmental justice organizations have already joined the campaign opposing the bond, including the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, Planning and Conservation League, Friends of the River, Food & Water Watch, the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, the Winnemem Wintu tribe, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), Southern California Watershed Alliance, and Restore the Delta.

“We are encouraged to see that voters across California share our view that this bond is a bad deal for taxpayers,” said Tina Andolina, Legislative Director for the Planning and Conservation League.

Andolina noted that cross-tabulated results from the poll show opposition across party and geographic lines. “No demographic group anywhere in the state offers majority support for the bond,” said Andolina. “Voters of all parties oppose it, as do voters in the northern and southern parts of the state and the Central Valley.”

Opponents note that the bond does not provide immediate funding to municipalities or conservation efforts. Low-income communities, many of which live with contaminated drinking water, would receive only a tiny fraction of total bond funds.

In contrast, up to $4 billion of taxpayers’ investment could be used to subsidize large corporate interests, including agribusinesses, that will profit from the projects. $3 billion can be used to construct new dams, and as much as $1 billion can subsidize costly private desalination projects.
Campaign members point out that money to finance the bond will come out of California’s general fund, which also funds education, healthcare, police and fire, and other essential services. The hit on the general fund would be enormous, as much as $800 million per year. Total debt repayment on the bond is expected to top $22 billion over 30 years.

“Instead of building projects we don’t need, we should be fixing local drinking water systems and taking other steps to ensure a safe, reliable water supply for California,” said Scow of Food & Water Watch. “Voters are already signaling that they know this bond is the wrong approach at the wrong time.”

SIERRA CLUB CALIFORNIA STATEMENT ON GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER’S STATE-OF-THE-STATE ADDRESS

Governor Schwarzenegger took one step toward a green economy and one step back with today’s state-of-the-state address.

By proposing a sales tax exemption for clean-tech manufacturing equipment, the Governor recognized that green jobs can lead our economic recovery. California’s pioneering standards on zero-emission vehicles and renewable energy can attract new jobs to our state.

But his proposal to exempt up to 28 private projects from community challenge under the California Environmental Quality Act represents backward thinking. CEQA provides people in the communities surrounding a proposed project a chance to see the details of a project, the potential alternatives and mitigation measures that would ameliorate the significant impacts of the project on public health, living conditions and the environment. Local people often have excellent knowledge of local conditions, and can make good suggestions for improvement of project design or the most cogent arguments why a project is wholly inappropriate for a particular location. This bill would completely undermine – for the projects it covers -- the ability of local residents to have a real say in what happens to their community, and essentially transfer local land use decisions to a single state agency. Bad planning will hinder, not help, our economic recovery, and we applaud Senate President pro tem Steinberg for saying that there is no need for this legislation.

Bill Magavern, Director, Sierra Club California

SIERRA CLUB CALIFORNIA’S 2009 REPORT CARD REVEALS BACKSLIDING BY GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE

Sierra Club California today published its 2009 Legislative Report Card, exposing a significant deterioration in the performance of Governor Schwarzenegger and the Legislature. "Billionaire developers and fossil-fuel polluters cynically manipulated California’s economic distress to weaken protections for our air, water, and wild places, and our elected officials too often went along," commented Bill Magavern, Director of Sierra Club California.

The report card grades legislators on their votes on 15 bills, chosen for their importance to Sierra Club California. Only five legislators – Senators Corbett, Hancock and Wiggins and Assemblymembers Monning and Skinner -- voted the pro-environment position on all 15, way down from the 42 legislators who scored perfect records last year. 13 of those 15 bills reached Schwarzenegger’s desk, and he sided with the pro-environment position on only two of those.

"Most Californians know that greening our economy with clean energy, safe products and resource preservation will bring us sustainable jobs," Magavern said. "Unfortunately, too many of our politicians are listening more to the money that talks in the Capitol. Weakening environmental safeguards promotes short term profits without stimulating real economic recovery. These rollbacks threaten the health of our children and grandchildren as well as the natural legacy our predecessors handed to us in trust for future generations."

Legislation that would have greened our energy system, preserved our parks and coast, cleaned the air and water, and removed toxins from products either fell short of the needed votes in the legislature or suffered vetoes from Governor Schwarzenegger. Utilities, oil, logging and chemical companies, and big developers poured millions of dollars into lobbying, advertising and campaign contributions in their efforts to thwart Californians’ desire for stronger safeguards for our wildlands, atmosphere and watersheds.

Environmental groups were forced into a defensive posture several times, as these same special interests exploited their inside influence to bypass the normal, public legislative process and jam through measures to carve loopholes in key laws like the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In addition, the water "reform" package passed in the middle of the night included a mix of half measures and a bloated $11.1 billion water bond for the November 2010 ballot that will do little to solve the problems of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The entire report card and Sierra Club California’s latest CAPITOL VOICE newsletter can be found at http://www.sierraclubcalifornia.org

SIERRA CLUB CALIFORNIA ENDORSES 2010 PARKS INITIATIVE

Sacramento — Sierra Club California today endorsed the State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010, a proposed statewide initiative slated for the November 2010 ballot, that would provide a stable, reliable and adequate source of funding to protect state parks and conserve wildlife.

“With our state parks facing an insurmountable funding crisis and irreparable damage, it is essential we provide our parks with a sustainable and reliable funding stream,” said Jim Metropulos, Senior Advocate of Sierra Club California. “For years California’s 278 state parks have been an integral public asset that residents and visitors alike enjoyed, and it is imperative we maintain these priceless assets for our children and future generations.”

The State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010 would ensure a dedicated and reliable funding stream for state parks through an $18 annual State Park Access Pass surcharge and, in return, would provide vehicles subject to the surcharge free, year-round admission to state parks.

“We encourage our members to join us in this effort to keep our parks open by helping to gather signatures and ensure that this initiative ultimately succeeds,” said Alan Carlton, Northern California Vice Chair of the Sierra Club California Nevada Regional Conservation Committee.
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Sierra Club California now joins a strong coalition including –California State Parks Foundation, The Trust for Public Land, Save the Redwoods League, Defenders of Wildlife, Surfrider Foundation, California State Park Rangers Association, Audubon California, California State Lifeguard Association and Ocean Conservancy.

To find out more information on how to help volunteer and gather signatures, please visit www.sierraclubcalifornia.org/elections.html.

For more information on the State Parks & Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010 please visit www.yesforstateparks.com.

Sierra Club Calfiornia Speaks Up for Greener Vehicles at CARB Meeting Thursday

On Thursday Sierra Club California will give public testimony at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) meeting and urge the Board to foster the growth of new technology that will provide Californians the opportunity to purchase and drive greener vehicles like battery electric cars.

CARB is now working on proposing changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program, to implement the state’s global warming law, AB 32. Sierra Club California and our allies are working hard to ensure that these standards are as strong as possible. That’s what we need to significantly clean up California’s air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While CARB staff have been working hard to strengthen the regulations, we have strong concerns with a policy option just released in the ZEV White Paper that would let the auto industry off the hook by giving them even more time to delay technology advancements and commercialization of zero emission vehicles.

Click here for the ZEV White Paper.

Click here for Sierra Club California’s and the Clean Car Coalition’s response to the policy option we take issue with.

Sierra Club California believes the auto industry has had plenty of time to conform with ZEV regulations. Now is not the time to let up—too much is at stake! NOW is the time to drive innovation and ramp up commercialization of green vehicles to ensure our kids breathe cleaner air, and to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. A strong ZEV program will also save us money at the gas pump and create green jobs. And strengthening the ZEV regulations will help California reach our goals of being a national leader in setting rigorous greenhouse gas emission standards, while promoting the advancement of new, cleaner technology.

Let us know what you think about cleaning our air and reducing greenhouse gas emissions coming from our vehicles…

New draft of global warming rules needs tightening

We are pleased that ARB continues to move forward with implementing the enforceable cap on greenhouse gas emissions set by the Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32, and is doing so through an open public process. The preliminary draft regulation, as expected, does not answer the most important question – whether polluters will have to pay for all their emissions – since the Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee has not yet finished its recommendations.

In addition to requiring polluters to pay for their emissions, the final regulation will need to tighten up several loopholes in the draft in order to successfully implement the Global Warming Solutions Act’s limit on greenhouse pollution:

· The draft allows polluters far too liberal use of offsets to buy their way out of reducing their emissions; almost half of all emission reductions could come from such offsets, which would undermine California’s efforts to green our economy and grow jobs in new clean technologies;

· The 3-year compliance period is too long – polluters should have to surrender their emissions permits every year;

· The final rules need to assure that emissions trading does not compromise air quality and environmental justice in communities most affected by industrial pollution;

· ARB should specify how it will enforce its rules swiftly and surely to prevent polluters from getting away with violations as a mere cost of doing business;

· In order to avoid exporting pollution and jobs to other states and countries, ARB should account for all emissions associated with cement imported into California, as it plans to do with electricity.

Sierra Club Objects to the Governor’s signing of $11.1 billion Water Bond Boondoggle

SACRAMENTO– Today Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign a bill authorizing an $11.1 billion dollar water bond on the ballot in November 2010 for voter approval. The bond is part of a package of water bills passed by the Legislature last week.

While some are calling this a victory, the policy package passed this week is more form than substance. The water package does nothing to reduce water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta or provide for reliable and resilient water resources needed to support a healthy California public, environment, and economy.

Sierra Club California Senior Advocate Jim Metropulos today released the following statement in response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s bill signing:

“Today’s action looks like more of the same from Governor Schwarzenegger,” said Sierra Club California Senior Advocate Jim Metropulos. “It’s sad in this day and age that we have to continue to discuss whether expensive, cumbersome dams and canals are the right solution for California’s water troubles. We don't need 19th-century solutions to today's problems.”

“If approved by the voters, the bond would obligate the state to spend over $800 million yearly in annual debt service. That is $800 million less for schools, social services and parks. It’s mind-boggling that the Legislature and the Governor would approve a pork-laden $11 billion general obligation bond as we are facing yet another General Fund shortfall.”

“Two parts of the plan concern me most: a proposed allocation of several billion in continuous appropriation for water storage, and the proposal to spend money on dams that benefit just a few special interests.”

“We can’t justify spending billions on dams that only benefit a few – especially in today’s fiscal climate. Water conservation, water recycling, stormwater recapture and cleaning up polluted groundwater represent faster and more cost-effective ways to fill our water needs”.

“We have a water crisis today. This proposed bond wastes $3 billion on projects that will take decades to build before producing a single drop of water.”

Today’s bill signing is being held at Friant Dam, outside of Fresno. Just last month, water was released below the dam for the first time in 60 years after two decades of ligation over restoring flows to the dry San Joaquin River.