The list includes the City of Sacramento, the counties of Contra Costa, Sacramento, Solano, and San Joaquin, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the Central Delta Water Agency. The letter itself (h/t EJ Schultz of the Fresno Bee) is pretty short and to the point:
We are writing to inform you that while we support the objective of fixing the Delta and increasing the reliability of water supplies for all of California, the current Delta package needs further work to ensure all regions of California are treated fairly. Put simply, in its current form, this legislation would harm Northern California.
We ask that the Legislature withhold and oppose any vote on a water package until, in addition to addressing the need for a reliable water supply for the entire state, it assures that there are no redirected impacts to the Delta and Northern California and sufficient protections are in place to protect Northern California’s and the Delta’s water supplies.
The Delta water package must fairly address the needs of Northern California, the economic viability and health of the Delta while assuring a reliable water supply for the entire State.
See, when it comes to water, there are so many dynamics as to make this an absolute mess. There’s obviously North Vs. South, as it rains in the North, but doesn’t in the South of the state. There’s different parts of the Central Valley fighting over the various scraps of water. And those who live on or near the Delta versus, well, those who don’t.
And balancing all those interests, along with environmental concerns isn’t easy. Yet, it is clear that there is an extraordinary level of pressure to just get this done as quickly as possible. A deal for a deal’s sake is simply not worth it.
Brian Leubitz publishes Calitics.com, the leading California progressive blog covering California politics and policy, and is a candidate for Vice-Chair of the California Democratic Party. He can be read on The California Progress Report Web site.