Republicans reject bonds - Governor loses party backing on 2 measures

Sacramento Bee ^ | August 21, 2006 | Laura Mecoy and Kevin Yamamura

[calcowgirl]

While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worshipped with a mostly Democratic congregation Sunday morning, his political party rejected two of five bond measures he's supporting on the Nov ballot.

Conservative activists had urged the California Republican Party to reject all five of the $42.6 billion in bond measures during its three-day convention here.

"By passing these bond measures, we are passing the buck to our children and grandchildren," said Jon Fleischman, former California Republican Party executive director.

But behind-the-scenes negotiations produced a compromise that led to the party rejecting two of the measures, endorsing two and taking no position on one.

The party voted Sunday to oppose Proposition 1C, a $2.85 billion affordable housing bond, and Proposition 84, a $5.4 billion water bond.

It voted to support Proposition 1B, the $19.9 billion transportation bond, and Proposition 1E, the $4 billion flood protection bond.

It also voted to take no position on Proposition 1D, the $10.4 billion education bond.

Katie Levinson, Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman ... said the governor would campaign for all the bond measures "in a bipartisan fashion."

The governor hammered out a bipartisan compromise to put four of the five bond measures on the ballot. Environmental and water groups put the water bond, Proposition 84, on the ballot, and Schwarzenegger endorsed it.

--snip

While the governor visited the church, campaign aide Sarah Simmons was at the convention trying to reassure the party faithful that the governor was in step with them and headed to victory.

"We have our (Republican) base secure," she said.

Jo Ellen Allen, Orange County Republican Party first vice chairwoman, said disagreements are to be expected, because the GOP is "not a monolithic party.

"You come to a convention, and you win some, and you lose some," she said. "The important thing is we are united behind the governor."

[Paloma_55]

Duf Sundheim, the RINO head of the California Republican Party sent a letter out claiming that Arnold had kept his promise not to raise taxes.... what exactly is a Bond measure??? It is a spending activity that demands repayment. Where does the money come from to repay these bonds????

Simply put, a bond measure is a tax increase.

[calcowgirl]

The should have ALL been rejected. They are Dem authored, pork filled legislation.

California Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim, addresses members after they
rejected two of the five bond measures Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supports.

[goldstategop]

The CAGOP compromised. I won't; in fact I'll still recommend the grassroots vote NO on ALL the bonds. I suspect even the party leadership isn't that enthusiastic about them.

( No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)

[goldstategop]

There is legitimate borrowing for capital improvements. We do need a lot of the latter and if I thought borrowing still more money would bring them about, I'd back some of the bonds. I can't because I have no faith the Democrats who wrote these bonds will spend the money for the purpose the bonds authorize.

( No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)

[tdewey10]

What do Cal. Republicans have against Barry Bonds?

[NormsRevenge]

So they support 30 billion or so and not the full 37 billion in additional debt?

It's a start. I guess.

[SierraWasp]

Drug induced performance and bondage! It's just too kinky!!! (you silly person)

[SierraWasp]

"It's a start."

Toward wretchedness, not tradition!!!

Even that flooding one suck canal water!!! It's full of nonsensical GovernMental EnvironMentalism!!! Stuff like move the walls of the canals out away from the channels to give the water more "wiggle room!"

I'm NOT kidding!!! Ask that creepy little whitewater rafting pseudo-Geologist over at UC Davis, Geoffrey Mounts who's the one saying this crappola. It'll slow the flow so much that sedimentation will fill the leveed channel and ruin it! But NO, all he can see is the sedimentation behind dams that it'll take centuries to even fractionally fill a reservoir!!!

If you follow this stuff for a decade or two, even three... pretty soon you start catching on to their idiotic game and it ain't improvement to actually deal with CA's growing problems. Economic, or otherwise!!!

[Carry_Okie]

It'll slow the flow so much that sedimentation will fill the leveed channel and ruin it!

I wouldn't doubt it, but I'd like to know where you got that little tid-bit.

My dad did the financing plan for that channel.

[SierraWasp]

Which channel? Was I talking about any particular channel? No Sir!!!

[danmar]

It's a start. I guess.

Well, for me, my friends, family etc,pp. it will be no start whatsoever because ALL proposed bonds will be voted down, and that's a firm promise!

[Carry_Okie]

Oh, I though you were talking about the Sacramento/Stockton ship channel.

[Amerigomag]

I'd like to know where you got that little tid-bit.

FluviaL Hydrology 101:

1) Widen the channel and the flow spreads out over a greater surface area during peak flows.

2) A wider flow area results in lower flow velocities at the peripheries.

3) Lower flow velocity results in lower energy.

4) Lower energy results in reduced load capacity

5) Reduced load capacity results in shedding.

6) Shedding produces sedimentation. Courser sediments in the higher rate flow areas and fines along the periphery where velocities are lower.

If you're from Rio Linda: Spread out the flow of a confined channel and it begins filling the wider channel with sedimentation.

Example: The Colorado River is still actively eroding the Grand Canyon. Where the river channel widens at the entrance to Lake Mead, flow rates decrease and the river dumps the load of sediment that it removed from the canyon. Lake Mead is silting at a rate that will destroy its storage capacity in the lifetime of your children.

[Carry_Okie]

1) Widen the channel and the flow spreads out over a greater surface area during peak flows.

I know what fluvial geomorphology is.

I also know Stokes Law. I've functioned as a chemical engineer pumping slurries through hoses at low flow and high velocity for precisely that reason.

What I wanted to know is if there was a specific engineering study predicting the consequences of a specific proposal in that specific waterway.

[Amerigomag]

move the walls of the canals out away from the channels to give the water more "wiggle room!"

The promotion of setback is a green effort to restore (recreate) historic settings. To reestablish a virtual picture of the Sacramento River flood plane in the 19th century.

You might ask why. The answer will not surprise you.

1) To preserve a slice of history in perpetuity. NO!

2) To create a safer environment for California's growing population. NO!

3) To create elevated building pads along a pastoral, bucolic flood plain to maximize development profits. YES!

[Amerigomag]

First, the reply was intended for a much wider audience. Few on this forum have your credentials. Your query to Wasp went right over their heads and his comment was very pertinent and revealing of the absurdity of the Austrian Folly.

Second, NO.

But there are numerous, archived studies, involving the flow of the Sacramento River, utilizing different flood plane models.

The beavers have the data. 1325 J Street in Sac

That's why the Corps was not anxious to get financially involved in the promotion and construction of elevated, setback levies when the Austrian declared a frivolous emergency and then attempted to blackmail the POTUS with a request for funding.

[SierraWasp]

No. Frankly I was just attacking a constantly interviewed whitewater rafter that gets his mug on KVIE, PBS in Sacramento ad nauseum. He criticises the original idea of putting the levees as close to the river bank, or other channel, as possible and blames the old farmers for supposedly being greedy trying to restore too much river bottom for ag land!

Of course, it was the Army Corps idea to squeeze the channel or river bed to speed up the water to induce scouring to keep the channel from silting up and over-topping the levees in far too short a time period. He derisively points out how high the water levels have been shoved up above the roof tops of the farmer's home and makes it appear the only safe thing to do now is to relax the river by giving it "middle aged spread" or some such rot!

His prime objective is to head off the completion of Auburn Dam as his commercial whitewater rafting corporation buddies and their "not for profit" corporate serrogates Friends of the River, Inc. hate dams with a religious zeal after losing the Stanilaus to rafting with the building of the New Melones Reservoir in the 1970's!!!

Everytime Congressman John T. Doolittle takes yet another run at getting the completion of Auburn Dam completed, all these rafter types revert to their communal days on the Stanislaus and go on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. and collect in their rich friend's mansion, camping out on the carpet between lobbying Senators and Congressmen/women, showing them photoshopped satelite photos of how over-development is ruining the unprotected Sierra-Nevada already and more water in a dam would just finish the job!!!

Gee! That sounds exactly like what you were pumping in my direction a couple of months ago, Amerigomag!!! Right???

In truth, the Auburn Dam would go a long way in solving the environmental stress on the Bay-Delta by helping to flush the salt intrusion out in the late summer and by helping relieve stress on ALL the levee system in and around Sacramento and well beyond to the breakers!!!

If everybody would just allow a short break in the vapor lock in their brains caused by "conventional wisdom" and political pragmatism and take a realistic and honest " big picture" assessment of completing that project that were planned and designed from the turn from the 19th century to the 20th... It might finally make new sense. Just as nuclear power is beginning to make with all the Jane Fonda hysterics finally not drowning out all reasonable thought processees!!!

[SierraWasp]

"The answer will not surprise you."

There is truth in your answer, but there is even more truth in mine regarding the dam that you've bought some of their "arrested development" propoganda on, my FRiend.

[SierraWasp]

"Lake Mead is silting at a rate that will destroy its storage capacity in the lifetime of your children."

I flat do NOT believe that to be even close to the truth and rather believe it to be more Marc Riesner's Caddilac Dessert bull crap!!!

He's just another whitewater rafter, except he enjoyed the Colorado more than these other negative knot-heads that think the American River is only useful for them to play and pee in before the people in CA's capitol drink it!!!

We're gonna have the local water district start selling bottled water out of Folsom Reservoir and put some light yellow food coloring in it and label it "After Rafter Water!" They will make MILLIONS!!!