Transcript Poli 103A: California Politics Water and Environmental

Poli 103A: California Politics
Water and Environmental
Politics
Water and Environmental Politics

Water Stories and Water Lessons

The Endangered Species Act
• Los Angeles and Chinatown
• The Bay Delta and the Peripheral Canal
• San Diego and the Imperial Irrig. District
• A Zero-Sum Game?
• The Wedge of Environmentalism
Los Angeles and Chinatown

The Need for Imported Water.
• From 1868 to 1910, Los Angeles’ 1,596
artesian wells nearly dried up the area’s
underground pools and reservoirs.
• In 1900, the new Department of Water
and Power projected shortages for the
fast-growing city of 102,249.
• San Fernando Valley farmers had lost
their riparian rights on the LA River.
Los Angeles and Chinatown

In 1903-5, J.B.
Lippincott (US
Bureau of
Reclamation) and
Fred Eaton (former
LA Mayor) bought
up lands along the
Owens River, which
fed flourishing
farms.

In 1905 and again in
1910, a syndicate
led by Harry
Chandler, Joseph
Sartori, Henry
Huntington, and
M.H. Sherman
bought 108,000
acres of Valley land
at $5-10 an acre.
Los Angeles and Chinatown

Unveiling the Plan. In July 1905,
the LA Times announced the plan to
build a $25 million aqueduct, which
was approved by voters in September
after water dumping and rationing.

Owens Valley Resistance. After
losing in the Legislature and courts,
farmers dynamited aqueduct in 1924,
but by 1927 saluted their conquerors.
Los Angeles and Chinatown

The Owens Lake is
dried up, dusty

The Valley sold for
$50-100 an acre.
Los Angeles and Chinatown

Water Lesson #1: Water changes the
value of land. In a state of deserts,
land value is built by moving water.

Water Lesson #2: Public relations are
paramount. Votes for bonds need
attention, while devious dealings
need to be kept low profile.
The Bay Delta and the
Peripheral Canal
Red lines are state projects
Yellow are federal projects
Green are local projects
The Bay Delta and the
Peripheral Canal

“Crossroads of California’s Water.”
Where the Sacramento and San
Joaquin Rivers meet and flow into the
San Francisco Bay:
• Local farmers and residents use water.
• Environmentalists try to protect wetlands
in Delta and fish upstream.
• Freshwater is pushed across the Delta on
its way to the Central Valley and SoCal.
The Bay Delta and the
Peripheral Canal

Jerry Brown backed an initiative to
complete his father Pat’s legacy with
the peripheral canal, with strings.

The environmental strings were too
costly for Central Valley farmers, who
bankrolled the opposition to canal.

Public vote on the canal lost 37-63%
on the June, 1982 ballot.
The Bay Delta and the
Peripheral Canal

Water Lesson #3: Alliances of
convenience don’t last forever.
Farmers’ political muscle and SoCal
ratepayers money not a strong bond.

Water Lesson #4: Water politics is
regional politics. 60% support for
canal in Los Angeles, but only 10%
support in the Bay Area.
San Diego and the
Imperial Irrigation District

Huge price disparities between
residential and agricultural users:
• Residents pay $0.49-3.78 per 748 gallons
• Farmers pay $14 per acre/foot, or $.03 per
748 gallons, with federal subsidies

Water Transfers. In 1992, Bill Bradley,
George Miller, the EDF, and the Met
changed federal law to allow the sale
Central Valley Project water to urbans.
San Diego and the
Imperial Irrigation District

The Metropolitan Water District
(Met) is an enormous special district
that sells and transports water to
member cities in Southern California.

San Diego and neighboring cities are
at the “end of the Met’s pipe.”

Imperial Valley has Colorado River
rights, weak efficiency incentives.
San Diego and the
Imperial Irrigation District

Texans Sid and Lee Bass attempted a
second Chinatown by buying Imperial
Valley water rights to sell to cities.

San Diego wanted to buy the water,
but the Met’s infrastructure became
the physical and legal sticking point.

October, 2003 deal sends 65 billion
gallons a year to S.D for $50 million.
San Diego and the
Imperial Irrigation District

Water Lesson
#5: Price
disparities create
resentment,
inefficiencies,
and the
opportunity for
big deals.
The Endangered Species Act:
A Zero Sum Game?

What the Acts Say:
• 1973 Federal ESA and CESA say that
scientists determine whether species are
“threatened” or “endangered,” then
agencies adopt conservation plans and
prohibit private “takings” of species.
Agencies can’t jeopardize habitat.
• Logging, development, or highways can
be halted if spotted owls, gnatcatchers, or
kangaroo rats are harmed or jeopardized.
The Endangered Species Act:
The Wedge of Environmentalism

The case of the addition of “incidental
take” permits to the CESA reveals the
surprising politics of the environment.
• Attempts to roll back the CESA after the
Republicans took control of the Assembly
in 1994 reached far and failed.
• After Democrats retook control, SB 879
(Johnston, D-Stockton) passed over
opposition of most environmental groups,
but with a neutral Sierra Club.
The Endangered Species Act:
The Wedge of Environmentalism

Support for agriculture in the Central
Valley and development in Orange
and Riverside Counties drive a wedge
inside the Democratic Party.

Support for coastal and mountain
environmental preservation splits
Republicans in San Diego, Santa
Barbara, and Silicon Valley.
Discussion Questions



Should the sins of Mulholland in the
Owens Valley be visited upon today’s
Los Angeles water ratepayers?
Why is water priced lower for
agricultural uses than it is for
domestic use? Should it be?
Is environmentalism a wedge issue at
the statewide level?