CA: Bond includes 'green' money - Environmental causes large part of spending plan

SFGate.com ^ | 3/11/06 | Greg Lucas

[NormsRevenge]

Sacramento -- A giant bond proposal being weighed by state lawmakers has far more in it than billions of dollars to build schools and highways and strengthen California's levees.

Restoration of the Salton Sea, retrofitting diesel school buses, acquiring land and creating urban parks are a few examples of spending included in the most recent version of the bond, which would go before voters in June if lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can work out a deal in the next couple of days.

"Protection of environmental resources is as much of a long-term investment in California's future as is the construction of public works that provide water or improve transportation or schools," said Tom Graff, regional director of the Environmental Defense Fund in Oakland.

The Senate was slated to meet late Friday night to possibly vote on the proposal, despite Republican opposition -- part of it stemming from some of the bond's spending priorities.

Even if the Senate approves the bond of at least $30 billion, the Assembly is not scheduled to meet until Monday. Lawmakers say Monday is their deadline to place the measure on the June ballot.

While most of the money in the most current draft of the bond is for school construction and modernization, congestion-relief on highways and flood-control projects, Democrats added several billion worth of "green" spending.

"Parks and ocean protection, and especially deferred maintenance, which is almost $1 billion in our state parks, are part of infrastructure because they represent permanent holdings people use. That's what infrastructure is," said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica and chairwoman of the Natural Resources and Water Committee.

[FOG724]

I've already sent out an announcement to Grange groups that we need to opose this. Your posts on this will be helpful. I need to put these together with policy and resend it out.

[calcowgirl]

Infrastructure?

  (f) Lake Tahoe water quality improvements. Not less than two
hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) of the funds made available by
this article shall be for projects to meet state obligations under
the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Plan.

[calcowgirl]

Well, this particular piece of legislation died last night. But since it was supposedly previously "negotiated" with the Wilsonegger Gang, I am sure whatever gets proposed next will have many of the same elements. People need to start dissecting it now and highlighting all of the issues.

I am remembering one of these big borrowing schemes (Prop 57/58, IIRC) that they passed at the last minute and left only one day for public comment. It appears they are trying to do the same here.

[goldstategop]

In plain English, no dams on the rivers feeding Lake Tahoe - and no water reservoirs to hold the run-off in anticipation of the cruel vagaries of Mother Nature. We're a desert state faced with perpetual water shortages and droughts. So are they actually planning to store water for lean times? No, if what the Lake Tahoe money is any indication, its not going to go to dams or to build water reservoirs. Neither object is even mentioned in the authorizing clause. What was that again about infrastructure? This one is good for a laugh.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[goldstategop]

Yep. At least the last scheme was to ostensibly close their self-created budget deficit. For that reason voters bought it. Anyway, this one is completely different. It will pile on a huge amount of debt just when we're making progress trying to pay off the existing debt. And to add insult to injury, they've thrown in a lot of stuff UNRELATED to infrastructure because they think the voters won't read the fine print. Whatever they come up with next, it helps to remember that the devil is literally hiding in the details.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Amerigomag]

But you won't find our leaders taking the time to address it along with other concerns that we have.

The Wilsonegger gang obviously won't answer that question. To do so would disclose too many things that will negatively impact their status with the various demographics they are targeting for support. For them it's obviously a can of worms best left untouched.

The CRP is so invested in the gang that not only will they not answer that question, they are now trying to stop the question from even being publicly voiced.

There is a ray of hope. Hope foretold by last night's events. Write to your representative and ask the same question. If he's a Republican, he's probably asked Ackerman and McCarthy the same question and gotten the same cold shoulder or the same song and dance that we've been asked to believe by the Bobbsey twins on this forum topic.

[SierraWasp]

This just adds on to the multi-millions currently used to fund Eldorado County's on-going program of Tahoe basin drainage projects to "KEEP TAHOE BLUE." (that's the bumpersnicker) They build settlement basins along the roads, rock line ditches and mucho stuff like that to slow down the erosion into the lake to retain the clarity levels that fluctuate no matter what they do!!!

IMO it's a flat boondawgle that El Dorado County loves as it keeps people on the payroll that they can borrow from for other projects as needed and keeps their little empire at county DOT intact!!!

I told you guys they'd use these bonds for envirowhacko crappola! And what doesn't get squandered on non-science non-sense will be blown on EnvironMental Impact Reports (EIR's) to comply with the CA EnvironMental Quality Act (CEQA) and EnvironMental Impact Statements (EIS's) to comply with the National EnvironMental Protection Act (NEPA) and to pay for EnvironMental Attorney's FEEs for their pissant lawsuits, whether they win, lose, or draw... or for EnvironMental Consulting Firms that have sweetheart non-bid contracts with cities, counties or special districts!!!

It's just gonna squander the whole bogus wad of bizzare bondage!!! BOHICA!!!

Oh! By the way... the clarity of Lake Tahoe is damaged far more from the high protein of pine tree pollen washing down into the lake from both the impervious surfaces of parking lots AND saturated undeveloped slopes.

And one other thing about erosion... How do you think all the buildable land in the Tahoe Basin go to be there in the first place... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???

[SierraWasp]

"Included in that list is the state's newest and largest conservancy, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy"

And STILL I see some on here wanting so desperately to try to make us worry about what Angelides will do so we'll over look what Wilsonegger has ALREADY DONE!!!

Even though this bullet just whizzed past our right ears... I makes it pretty danged clear what the GANG-GREEN Governator has intended from the very git-go from his Recall Campaign Web-site!!!

He just adores being used by Robert Kennedy, Jr. and his infamous Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) GANG-GREEN EnvironMental-whacko.org

[Amerigomag]

How do you think all the buildable land in the Tahoe Basin go to be there in the first place...

For an ostensibly good ole boy who never once claimed an MS in geomorphology, you sure do savvy the obvious, hidden in plain sight.

I love it! Spot on! Keep the pearls coming!

[calcowgirl]

  5096.900.  The sum of one billion four hundred million dollars
($1,400,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation to the
Department of Parks and Recreation, in accordance with the following
schedule:

   (a) The sum of six hundred million dollars ($600,000,000) for the
rehabilitation, restoration, enhancement, protection, acquisition,
and development of the state park system. It is the intent of the
Legislature that first priority for funding shall be for deferred
maintenance projects, development projects to complete and expand
visitor facilities, and restoration projects. Not more than 20
percent of the funds made available by this subdivision may be used
for acquisition.

(snip)

   5096.910.  The sum of three hundred thirty million dollars
($330,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation therefor, to
state conservancies that provide regional parks and recreational
areas, in accordance with the particular provisions of the statute
creating each conservancy, for acquisition, development, restoration,
and interpretation, and for grants for these purposes, according to
the following schedule:  
                                                   
 (a) To the Baldwin Hills                          
 Conservancy (Division 22.7                        
 (commencing with Section 32550)) ...  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (b) To the San Gabriel and Lower                  
 Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains                  
 Conservancy (Division 22.8                        
 (commencing with Section 32600)) ...  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (c) To the San Francisco Bay Area                 
 Conservancy Program (Chapter 4.5                  
 (commencing with Section 31160) of                
 Division 21) .......................  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (d) To the Santa Monica Mountains                 
 Conservancy (Division 23                          
 (commencing with Section 33000)) ...  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (e) To the Sierra Nevada                          
 Conservancy (Division 23.3                        
 (commencing with Section 33300))....  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (f)  To the California Tahoe                      
 Conservancy (Title 7.42 (commencing               
 with Section 66905) of the                        
 Government Code) ...................  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (g) To the Coachella Valley                       
 Mountains Conservancy (Division                   
 23.5 (commencing with Section                     
 33500)) ............................  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (h) To the San Joaquin River                      
 Conservancy (Division 22.5                        
 (commencing with Section 32500)) ...  $40,000,000 
                                                   
 (i) To the San Diego River                        
 Conservancy (Division 22.9                        
 (commencing with Section 32630)) ...  $10,000,000 

[calcowgirl]

Read the thread. Apparently the Wilsonegger gang is collaborating with the evil
Marxist liberal socialist Democrat Party. The devil is always in the details.

[goldstategop]

Payoffs to the enviros. Just follow the money and you'll see the biggest force in the Democratic Party these days. Its not about development and economic expansion. The Democrats don't care about the economy and in any event they view it as a cash cow for expanding government control over our lives - easier to accomplish if its done in the name of protecting Mother Nature.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[dalereed]

If the bond issue isn't killed in the legislature they must killed at the ballot box!

[marsh2]

I know the tribes were propos8ing to rip out all the dams on the Klaamath and have the bond pay compensation to every private property owner, business and the county for economic damages that would cause. Did that make it in?

[calcowgirl]

I know the tribes were propos8ing to rip out all the dams on the Klaamath and have the bond pay compensation to every private property owner, business and the county for economic damages that would cause. Did that make it in?

It might have. Much of the language of the bill was vague. The only "dam" that was mentioned was Folsom, but this section might cover Klamath dams if "restoration projects" or "ecosystem restoration" means removal and "easements" means compensation to property owners:

Article 9.  Resource Stewardship Program

   5096.890.  The sum of seven hundred million dollars ($700,000,000)
shall be available, upon appropriation therefor, to meet the
resource stewardship and ecosystem restoration of the state related
to water, including for all of the following:
   (a) Restoration of the San Joaquin River system.
   (b) Restoration of the delta. Not less than one hundred million
dollars ($100,000,000) of the funds made available by this article
shall be for the purposes of this subdivision.
   (c) Habitat conservation planning and implementation.
   (d) Restoration of the Salton Sea. Not less than one hundred
million dollars ($100,000,000) of the funds made available by this
article shall be for projects pursuant to the Salton Sea Restoration
Act (Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 2930) of Division 3 of the
Fish and Game Code).
   (e) Coastal salmonid recovery projects, including Klamath River
restoration projects.
   (f) Lake Tahoe water quality improvements. Not less than two
hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) of the funds made available by
this article shall be for projects to meet state obligations under
the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Plan.
   (g) Conservation easements on agricultural lands.
   (h) Other ecosystem restoration projects and programs.

[calcowgirl]

If the bond issue isn't killed in the legislature they must killed at the ballot box!

If the ultimate product looks anything like AB 134, I agree!!!

[SierraWasp]

Just look at the audacity, you people... just look at it!!!

They have no fear of actually putting everyone of their "wet(lands) dreams" in ACTUAL OFFICIAL PROPOSED LAWS!!!

[SierraWasp]

In reply to that list of 1.4 BILLION for CONservancies...

Could I interest anyone (including Jim Robinson) in a CONSERVATIVE CONSERVANCY???

I tried to ping "Governor Schwartzenegger" but FR told me "Before you may post this message, the following must be corrected: Could not find anybody named 'Governor Schwartzenegger'"

Well let me tell you where you can find the bastard! He's all huddled up with the Damnocraps down under the Crapitol dome in Sacratomato(e) treating the Republicans like annoying pests!!!

[SierraWasp]

"I love it! Spot on! Keep the pearls coming!"

Why thank you!!! I must correct you about my degree, however... It's a PHD (yes, Piled Higher & Deeper) in pure unadulterated Bull Scat, don'tcha know???

Seriously, though... I'm glad you recognize that I'm NOT oblivious to the obvious. That's a growing trait in CA that I wish we could stamp out, starting right here on FR!!!

[hedgetrimmer]

Yikes!