Sacramento – Gov. Gavin Newsom is left to his old tricks, and in a short time he is trying to hamper major policy changes through the state legislature. And once again, lawmakers are pushing back.

Not just lawmakers, but also the Congress’s nonpartisan, independent, top policy analyst.

Legislative analysts’ offices recommend refraining from voting for what lawmakers ask for as they are forced to act without sufficient time to properly study complex issues.

Newsom is asking Congress to build a “quickly track” of his controversial underwater tunnel project in the Joaquin River Delta in Sacramento.

The $200 billion, 45 miles, 39 feet tunnel will enhance delivery of water to Southern California.

Delta towns, farmers, environmental groups and coastal salmon fisheries are fighting the projects and the governor’s latest moves to promote construction.

If there are supporters outside the Capitol for his fast truck proposal, they’re not speaking out.

“No one said he was excited about me,” says Sen. Jerry McNerney, East San Francisco Bay Rep., co-chair of the Legislative Delta Caucus. A bipartisan group of 15 lawmakers representing the Delta region are strongly opposed to the tunnel, calling it a grab for the water, and fighting the Newsmom bill.

The black mark on the governor’s proposal is that he is trying to push it through Congress as part of the new state budget that has been negotiated for the fiscal year since July 1st. But that has nothing to do with budget spending.

Tunnels are not paid through the general fund of the budget provided by taxes. It is funded by water users with increased monthly interest rates, primarily for Southern Californians.

Newsom is about to make his proposal one of several budget “trailer” invoices. This will avoid the usual public hearings by the Legislative Policy Committee. There was little scrutiny by lawmakers, interest groups or citizens. This measure requires only a simple majority vote in each House of Representatives.

“We’re fighting that,” says Rep. Lori Wilson, co-chair of the Delta Caucus, which covers the Delta district as we enter the San Francisco Bay.

“This is not the project itself, it is about how you want to do things in California. [fast-track] It’s a comprehensive policy that it’s not intended to include budgets,” Wilson says.

Legislative analyst Gabriel Petek said, “We recommend postponing actions without harm. There is no budgetary impact on policy issues. Deferring litigation increases the time and ability to fully consider potential benefits, impacts and trade-offs.”

The analyst added: [tunnel]something Congress may not be ready to do – because it removes many obstacles to move the project forward.

“In addition, even if Congress tends to support the project, some of the specific details of this proposal deserve more thorough scrutiny.”

Newsom tried a similar Quickie Tactic two years ago to quickly track the tunnel. And the enraged legislator bald.

“He waited again until the last moment,” Wilson said. “And he doubled.”

She argues that the governor is looking for more shortcuts for tunnel construction than he last time.

“There are people who support projects that don’t support doing this,” she says. “Congress doesn’t like it when the governor injects key policies into the budget conversation. Policy changes at this level will usually pass through several committees.”

Even the two Democratic leaders in Congress are likely not with the Democratic governor. They keep Mama public.

Senate President Protem Mike McGuire (D-Hillsburg) has always been opposed to the tunnel project. Legislative officials have said that assembly speaker Robert Ribas (D-Hollister).

It appears McGuire and Rivas are trying to avoid distracting fights through tunnels within the Party Caucus during tense budgets.

Newsom argues that the project is necessary to increase the reliability of the Delta water supply as climate change the Sierra Snowpack runoff, rising sea levels and making the vast estuary even saltier.

He also claims to defeat fragile levees and protect them from defeating earthquakes that flood the delta and halt water supplies. But it seems to be a fake. There has never been an earthquake that seriously damaged the Delta levee. And there are no major drawbacks under the delta.

The tunnel sucks up the relatively fresh Sacramento River water at the northern edge of the Delta and delivers it to a facility at the brackish southern edge. From there, the water is sent to the state’s Water Project Aqueduct Bridge, moving south, primarily to Southern California.

“A deep, large tunnel would cause many problems in agriculture and tourism,” McNerney said. “One town is completely destroyed – Hood. It’s a small town, but the people there have rights.”

Newsom law makes it easier to obtain permission for a project. The state’s own water rights are permanent and not subject to renewal. The state is permitted to issue unlimited revenue bonds for tunnel construction, which are repaid by water users. It’s also easier to buy a farmer and run tunnels through orchards and vineyards. And it will limit and promote the court agenda.

“For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stagnated with an infinite deficit burdened by unnecessary delays. We have finished the barrier,” Newsson declared by announcing his proposal in mid-May.

But lawmakers should not be carried out in solid, carefully inferred legislation.

The policy states that, importantly, this project includes a monumental project, Congress should spend enough time to get it right.

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Until next week,
George Skeleton

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