PCL Insider: News from the Capitol
ELATION AND ANTICIPATION: ELECTION RESULTS TO SET STAGE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES IN 2009
Tuesday night's election demonstrated two things that we in California should keep in mind. First, protecting the environment, fighting global warming, and securing our energy independence ranked up there with health care reform and improving the economy to voters across the country. It's heartening to know that facing our planet's environmental problems is a top priority for the American people.
Second, given the victory of President-Elect Barack Obama and his commitment to tackle the tough energy issues we face, and the increased number of pro-environment Democrats in both the U.S. House and Senate, it's clear that California has a unique opportunity to light the way for the nation, advancing strong and aggressive environmental policies in Sacramento that will serve as a model for eager policy makers in Washington. The bolder we are here, the better we'll do there.
Fortunately, although the final makeup of our State Assembly and Senate are still not certain, we do know that as we go into 2009 we'll be in a better position to advance significant environmental policies. The environment picked up a total of three seats in the Assembly. In San Diego, pro-environmental candidates Martin Block and Manual Perez won tough races for seats that had been held by legislators who did not support environmental protection. In the Bay Area, the pro-environmental candidate, Joan Buchanan picked up a very coveted seat. We have high hopes that these three new Assmeblymembers will be strong votes for the environment.
Two seats remain undecided. The race to replace Alan Nakanishi, a Republican from Lodi, is still very close. So is the race to replace the staunchly anti-environmental Republican senator from Ventura, Tom McClintock. Former Assemblymember Hannah Beth Jackson, a bona fide environmental champion, is up in that district by 107 votes with thousands still to be counted.
Particularly during the last eight years, California has served as a beacon of hope for every American who cares about clean air and water, protecting our natural heritage, and combating the crisis of global warming. Now its time to seize the tidal wave of enthusiasm and desire for change to once again lead the way for all Americans. Together we can do it!
TIME SEEPING OUT FOR DRAINAGE DEBACLE? STATE REGULATORS GIVE 90 DAYS TO ACT ON HALF-CENTURY OLD ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM
Fifty years after the Westlands Water District began irrigating drainage-impaired lands in the San Joaquin Valley, causing massive accumulation of toxic selenium and other salts in the soils and drainage water, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Board) has taken action to address the ongoing pollution problem. In a letter last week, the Board gave the water district 90 days to file for a waste discharge permit and present a plan for cleaning up the soils that have been building up salts and toxins for decades.
While federal officials knew that providing water to Westlands from the Delta and Northern California would aggravate the naturally occurring salt-loading problems on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation pushed forward with the irrigation project. As a result, the Westlands area is one of the largest, most heavily subsidized, and profitable agribusiness regions in the world as well as one of California's worst environmental legacies.
The hard clay soils on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley are naturally impermeable, preventing water and salts from seeping into the earth. In many places in the area, the water table is no more than five feet from the surface of the ground. Toxics and salts from the imported irrigation water mix with the groundwater, compromising crop root systems - a problem people in the business refer to as "drainage impairment."
The Board's letter reminds Westlands that discharging toxic laden water is a violation of laws protecting the state's surface and groundwater. We're pleased to see the Board treating the drainage situation as a serious problem and hope their actions mark a turning point in efforts to clean up the area.
HAVE YOU HEARD? WORKSHOPS ON MESSAGING AND OUTREACH AT PCL'S ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE SYMPOSIUM
During this election cycle we've seen the benefits of staying on message and utilizing the internet to fire up grassroots support for issues and candidates. Learn how to reach your target audience with maximum efficiency across media genres by attending one of our "how to" sessions at our 2009 Annual Legislative Symposium!
How To… Make the Message Stick
Ever loved your catchy ad but missed your target audience? Join Jane Mueller of Well Chosen Words and learn the elements of an effective, integrated marketing communication plans. She'll cover pitfalls to avoid and teach techniques to employ in keeping the environmental movement on message and efficiently using our precious advertising resources.
How To… Engage New Audiences Online
Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and other online activism tools used by groups like MoveOn.org have changed the way we build grassroots support. Natalie Foster of the Sierra Club will introduce innovative tools and ideas about broadening your organization's volunteer and membership base via the internet.
Register early for the PCL-PCLF Symposium and Banquet. The event is on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento. For more information, contact Melanie Schlotterbeck at (714) 779-7561 or MSchlotterbeck@pcl.org.
|
