Lawmakers angling for fishery deal

Sacramento Bee ^ | 9/20/5 | Michael Doyle

[SmithL]

Lawmakers are quietly pressing farmers and environmentalists to settle a bitter lawsuit over the San Joaquin River's future.

The behind-the-scenes details are fluid but the stakes uncommonly high for fish, Friant Dam, irrigation districts and, perhaps, political reputations.

"We think if we can get both sides to agree, that is better than more years (of fighting) and lawyers," Mariposa Republican Rep. George Radanovich said in an interview last week. "This has got to be a consensus deal."

At issue is the long-running fight over restoring the salmon fishery on the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam, northeast of Fresno. After negotiations broke down two years ago, a federal judge in Sacramento has essentially taken the river's future into his own hands. Having already ruled the salmon fishery must be restored, U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton is scheduled to decide next spring how much water must be released from the dam to accomplish that goal.

The prospect of Karlton's ruling has caused a scramble among farmers and their congressional allies. Another lawmaker, Visalia Republican Devin Nunes, has already introduced longshot legislation that would block Karlton from ordering any Friant water to be released for the sake of the fish.

Radanovich and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., have joined forces in a different effort, designed to work out the settlement. The discussions are built around a concession that a San Joaquin River salmon fishery will, in fact, be restored.

"I'm sure (environmentalists) would like to have all the water, and Friant would like to have all the water," Radanovich said, while adding that both sides will have to give.

Draft language under discussion puts a cap on how much water farmers would have to give up.

[SmithL]

Karlton, Lawrence K.

Born 1935 in Brooklyn, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
U. S. District Court, Eastern District of California
Nominated by Jimmy Carter on June 5, 1979, to a seat vacated by Thomas J. MacBride; Confirmed by the Senate on July 23, 1979, and received commission on July 24, 1979. Served as chief judge, 1983-1990. Assumed senior status on May 28, 2000.

Education:
Columbia Law School, J.D., 1958

Professional Career:
U.S. Army, 1958-1960
Civilian legal officer, Sacramento Army Depot, 1960-1962
Private practice, Sacramento, California, 1962-1976
Judge, Superior Court of California, Sacramento County, 1976-1979

Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male