PETTY, PETULANT, AND IRRELEVANT: GOVERNOR STILL STUCK ON DAMS AS DEADLINE FOR BILL SIGNING NEARS

In a repeat of last year's end-of-session gamesmanship, Governor Schwarzenegger is threatening to veto most of the 700 bills sitting on his desk this week unless the Legislature whips together a package of bills dealing with California's water crisis. And, he's made it clear that not just any package will do; it must include state funding for new dams.

The San Francisco Chronicle put it best: "Governor, you're making yourself look petty, petulant, even irrelevant."

It's the Governor's duty under the State Constitution to review the bills passed by the Legislature, judge them on their merits, and either sign or veto them. However, Schwarzenegger seems to have taken a cue from the current Republican legislative caucus' playbook: hijack unrelated policies to extract favors for special interests.

There are several important bills on the Governor's desk that would improve our state's air and water quality, protect our parks, and help us become less dependent on fossil fuels. If Schwarzenegger follows through on this threat, lawmakers face the depressing prospect of starting from scratch on these concepts next year. But if the Legislature gives in to the Governor's demands our state will be faced with an even greater loss - the prospect of sinking billions of tax dollars into building new dams, the most expensive, least efficient, and most environmentally destructive water management strategy available. We hope the Legislature stands firm against the Governor's pressure. 

STATE TREASURER SAYS WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING SHOULD COME FROM USERS; BOND SPENDING NOT FISCALLY PRUDENT NOW

For months, Governor Schwarzenegger has been pressuring lawmakers to saddle taxpayers with a multi-billion dollar bond to pay for new dams and other water infrastructure. 

Last week in the Debt Affordability Report for 2009, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer pointed out the flaws in that approach, calling instead for the users of new water infrastructure to pay for the projects themselves:

"…this report makes clear that further increasing the General Fund's debt burden, especially in the next three difficult budgets, would require cutting even deeper into crucial services already reeling from billions of dollars in reductions. The case for user-funding for most water system improvements is compelling, both as a matter of equity and fiscal prudence."

We couldn't agree more. When Californians are suffering from draconian cuts to vital public services like education, health care, and environmental programs, it's irresponsible to ask taxpayers to take on more debt for dams that water agencies are unwilling to pay for themselves.

As the Legislature debates the future of the Delta and California's water management system, it must take responsibility for determining how much its plans will cost and make sure that the right people pay.