8-13-09

 
8-13-09
Merced Sun-Star
Atwater City Council rebukes Frago
Councilman reprimanded in letter; Joe Rivero to be mayor pro tem...JONAH OWEN LAMB
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/v-print/story/999956.html
ATWATER -- The City Council reprimanded Councilman Gary Frago for sending racist e-mails in a letter on Wednesday night before more than 90 spectators in Atwater's community center.
But many, some who have called for Frago's ouster, were not satisfied at what they saw as a slap on the wrist and weak leadership from the city.
A draft of the city's letter said, among other things, "The council believes that it is inappropriate to send racially derogatory and sexually explicit e-mails and jokes to city employees."
Along with the letter, the council voted on an almost city-wide sensitivity training.
While many asked Frago to resign, not everyone there wanted him to leave office. Some said they accepted his apology and voiced their support.
But for most their message had not changed -- Frago should leave office.
Jeff Freitas of Change Merced, an activist group that helped organize anti-Frago protests with the NAACP, said that the lack of any real consequences for Frago sent the wrong message.
"It becomes very clear to people there isn't real accountability," he said.
Napoleon Washington, the president of the local NAACP chapter, who has repeatedly asked for Frago's resignation, said that the council's letter amounted to a slap on the wrist.
"The letter, what does it mean?" he asked. "What are the consequences?"
Maureen McCorry agreed with Washington. But she also cast dispersion on the e-mail's recipients. "You get an e-mail like that over your desk, you're not going to forget it," she said.
Judy Bowling, another speaker, held no punches.
"You are an embarrassment," she told Frago. "I am so ashamed to say to anybody that I am from Atwater because of your actions."
But Frago supporters were also present.
Barbara Riis-Christensen said that Frago had apologized and it was time to move on. "Now he got the help, for god sake, stop harassing the man."
While the council voted on a draft letter of reprimand, it also voted for the whole council and city staff to participate in sensitivity classes.
Only Councilman Nelson Crabb opposed the collective training, because he said it was collective punishment when Frago was at fault not the council.
"I'm being asked to take corrective action for someone else's mistakes," he said.
Finally, since Frago recently resigned as mayor pro tem, Councilman Joe Rivero was voted into the position after being nominated by Mayor Joan Faul.
A Sun-Star story on July 17 revealed that Frago sent at least seven racist e-mails to city and county officials from October 2008 to February 2009. The e-mails denigrated President Obama, the first lady and black people in general.
A new batch of e-mails released by the city Tuesday -- some of which contained jokes alluding to the assassination of President Barack Obama and violence against people of color -- added to the already published e-mails forwarded by Frago to city staff and a county supervisor from his personal account.
While Frago has apologized, at first he said he didn't regret sending the e-mails.
Obama assassination, killing of Latinos in latest batch of Atwater councilman's e-mailed 'jokes'...JONAH OWEN LAMB...8-12-09
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/998044.html
* Read the e-mails sent by Atwater Councilman Gary Frago
* Frago's e-mails, March 9 - July 20, 2009
* Frago's e-mails, Jan. 17 - March 6, 2009
* Frago's e-mails, Dec. 9, 2008 - Jan. 16, 2009
* Frago's e-mails, Oct. 2 - Dec. 10, 2008
* Frago's e-mails, April 17 - July 17, 2009
Letter: Participation limits...CLARENCE SOUZA JR., Merced
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/180/v-print/story/999961.html
Editor: Thank you for writing about Rep. Dennis Cardoza and informing us that he reads these letters to the editor.
I wrote him a letter recently, which in part read: "If you, in any way, shape or form, vote for any health-care reform proposed by the current administration you will not receive my vote in any future elections. Furthermore, if you do I will support any viable candidate to unseat you in the next election."
Mr. Cardoza, I received a "thank you" and a copy of your letter explaining your position on health-care reform. Mr. Cardoza, your position is a privilege earned and rewarded by how well you respond to the request of the people you serve.
I, along with thousands you serve do not believe that health-care reform deserves a yes vote. You say that thousands can participate over the phone where a town hall meeting would limit participation. I would love for the Sun-Star to publish the list of those callers. We know "why no town hall."
Letter: Please man up...JAMES RAGUS, Merced
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/180/v-print/story/999946.html
Editor: My, my, my. A man runs unopposed in the last election, has enjoyed the fruits of his office and can't take some heat from the concerned constituents of his district?
Some would call that soft, weak, if you please.
Rep. Dennis Cardoza, I don't wish to meet with you either. Your affiliations with our current leadership in the House and Senate have taken precedence over the citizens of the district who entrusted you with their voice.
Please man up, so that we may trust your voice. Put off those social engagements and spend 40 hours (sounds like a work week) to listen.
My grandchildren need you.
Merced County Times
Won’t you come home Dennis Cardoza? Why won’t you come home? They cried the whole night long.”...John M. Derby
http://www.mercedcountytimes.net/content/2009-08-13/001850
Normally this is the one time of the year that we can expect to hear from our Congressman. Traditionally there are Town Hall meetings to give the constituents a one on one with their Congress in discussion of the various topics being debated on Capitol Hill.
Our Congressman Dennis Cardoza says there will be no Town Hall meetings. He is not expected to return to Merced County over the summer recess.
The voters want to hear from him on some of the most important issues of the day. The Health Care bill tops that list with about as many people for it as against it.
Congressman Dennis Cardoza proclaims himself a “Blue Dog” Democrat and therefore is advocating a different approach to Health Care reform than the main line Democrats, however it is not certain what portions of the bill he supports and what he does not.
Merced County is witnessing one of the worst unemployment levels in its history and the home foreclosure problem still has not been solved. In fact, word has it, that a major flood of foreclosed homes is about to hit the market.
Where is Dennis Cardoza to answer his constituent’s questions?
He did speak at a meeting sponsored by “One Voice” about a month ago and called the mess in Washington like “drinking out of a fire hose”.
He did not say a lot about what kind of solutions he was recommending, nor did he state what kinds of reforms he was advocating for Health Care.
We realize that Congressman Dennis Cardoza has obligations at his new home in Maryland. He has a family and we would not want him to deprive his family of fatherly time and support.
However all too often we have wondered where our Congressman is when important issues are taking place here in Merced County.
Or is this just a case of not wanting to meet the voters face to face?
FOOTNOTE:
Just because Congressman Dennis Cardoza will not be conducting Town Hall meetings, it does not bar the way for some other organization like the League of Women Voters to fill the gap. Town Hall meetings have become an important part of the political system, a “grass roots” way of getting information to Congress. Let’s keep that tradition alive.
Patterson Irrigator
Supes to visit Patterson for joint meeting with council...James Leonard
http://pattersonirrigator.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Supes+to+visit+Patterson+for+joint+meeting+with+council%20&id=3169889-Supes+to+visit+Patterson+for+joint+meeting+with+council&instance=
home_news_third_lead_story
At a glance
• WHAT: Joint meeting between the Patterson City Council and Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors
• WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. Regular council meeting to follow at 7 p.m.
• WHERE: Council chambers, City Hall, 1 Plaza.
The Patterson City Council will welcome the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors for a joint meeting to discuss items of mutual interest at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, in the council chambers at City Hall.
City Manager Cleve Morris said no action will be taken by either body at the meeting, but there will be a public comment period. The meeting will be followed by the council’s regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m.
“We looked at doing it as a regular (council) meeting, but we have some items we need to take care of that we didn’t think (the supervisors) needed to be there for,” Morris said.
The joint meeting was suggested by District 5 Supervisor Jim DeMartini, the board’s chairman. He said the chairman — a position that rotates from year to year — has the option of having a meeting in one of the cities in his district, but the last such meeting was one in Newman five years ago.
“I thought it would be nice to get together with Patterson,” said DeMartini, who is often unable to attend Patterson City Council meetings because they overlap with supervisors meetings. “I couldn’t find that it had been done in Patterson at all.”
DeMartini said the Patterson meeting will likely lead to more such meetings in the future. He said the board, which typically meets in Modesto, will meet in two other cities next year — possibly Turlock and Oakdale.
“We have nine cities,” DeMartini said. “I think it’s good that we get to know each other a little and talk about issues of similar importance.”
Morris said Monday that there were three items on the agenda for the joint meeting:
• The board and council will discuss travel and tourism, specifically an audio tour of the West Side.
• They will discuss the progress being made on a new county animal shelter, which the city is helping to pay for.
• And they will discuss the so-called South County Corridor, which would connect Interstate 5 and Highway 99, likely going through or around Patterson.
Morris said there will also be an open agenda item in which any member of either body can bring up discussion topics.
One item that will almost certainly not be discussed, DeMartini said, is West Park. The controversial industrial park proposed for the Crows Landing Air Facility is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit — the city is suing the county and the board itself for its approval of the project.
“It’s not going to be on the agenda,” said DeMartini, who has repeatedly strayed from his fellow supervisors and sided with the city of Patterson in opposing West Park. “Really, it can’t be. There’s still an active lawsuit between the county and city, so we really shouldn’t be discussing it at all.
“Not that we wouldn’t have plenty to say, but we really shouldn’t.”
Sacramento Bee
California exports fall for eighth month...Mark Glover
http://www.sacbee.com/business/v-print/story/2105095.html
California's economic woes – and those of its trading partners – continue to slow the amount of goods flowing out of Golden State ports.
California merchandise exports were down sharply for the eighth straight month in June, according to the University of California Center Sacramento. Exports were valued at $9.98 billion, down 24.9 percent from $13.29 billion in June 2008.
The center based its analysis on data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national export numbers also trailed last year's results, but some trade experts pointed to monthly increases in both exports and imports as a positive sign for the U.S. economy.
In its analysis of California trade, the UC center noted that the state's June exports increased by $479 million over May totals. However, that sliver of good news did little to boost analysts' take on the state's big picture.
"The fact that June's export numbers were higher than May's does not signal an imminent recovery in our foreign trade," said Jock O'Connell, the UC center's international trade and economics adviser. "Historically, June's exports have typically been higher than May's, and these were the lowest California export figures for the month of June since 2005," O'Connell said.
Manufactured exports out of California fell by 28.8 percent in June, while agricultural goods and other non-manufactured exports dipped by 23.6 percent. Re-exports of goods previously imported into the state were off by 10.3 percent.
The UC center said California's year-to-date exports of $56.3 billion are down 23 percent from $73.2 billion in the 2008 January-to-June period.
O'Connell said "exports are lagging economic indicators" because they typically reflect orders placed months in advance.
He said recent indications of an improving U.S. economy are unlikely to produce a dramatic change in California trade anytime soon.
"The recession is easing off, and things are less worse than they were last month," he said. "But there's no expectation of robust recovery. Any recovery we have is going to be a very modest, delicate and fragile recovery."
The amount of goods arriving in California's ports was also down about a third for the year.
The UC center said the value of foreign goods entering the United States through California in June was $20.8 billion, a 33.4 percent decrease from $31.2 billion last year.
State-specific imports are not broken down, because some goods entering California are bound for other states throughout the nation. Consequently, exports of California-produced goods are considered the key indicator of Golden State trade.
Nationwide, the Commerce Department said U.S. exports rose 2 percent to $125.8 billion in the May-to-June period. But O'Connell said the year-over-year picture is more negative, with U.S. exports down 24.7 percent for the first half of 2009.
National imports, meanwhile, rose for the first time in 11 months. The Commerce Department said U.S. imports were up 2.3 percent compared with May, to $152.8 billion.
The Associated Press reported that the first back-to-back gains for exports in a year were especially good news for America's manufacturing sector, as U.S. firms benefited from higher shipments of semiconductors, aircraft and telecommunications equipment.
The Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit widened 4 percent to $27 billion, from May's $26 billion deficit. The May imbalance was the lowest deficit in nearly a decade.
AP quoted experts saying that gains in U.S. exports and imports were indicators that the recession is ending.
But analysts also warned that recovery likely will widen the trade gap, because a rebounding U.S. economy is projected to grow faster than the global economy. Americans' rising purchases of foreign goods could boost the U.S. trade deficit, according to AP reports.
"The economic rebound is starting," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors. "This is likely to be the beginning of the end for the narrowing of the trade deficit."
AP said the politically sensitive trade deficit with China increased 5.4 percent to $18.4 billion in June, the highest level since January. But for the year, that deficit is running 13.1 percent below last year's record pace.
The Business Journal
Study: Valley ag job losses overblown...Business Journal staff...8-11-09   
http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1450:study-valley-ag-job-losses-overblown&catid=79:agriculture&Itemid=766
A new economic report from University of the Pacific in Stockton comparing job losses in the agricultural and construction sectors has at least one local farmer angry.
The report, authored by Jeff Michael with the university’s Business Forecasting Center, states that job losses caused by the foreclosure crisis exceed job losses from Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta water pumping restrictions by a ratio of 8 to 1. While media reports cite lost jobs due to water shortages between 30,000 and 90,000 jobs, the report pegs the number closer to 6,000 jobs and $170 million in lost wages.
By comparison, the report states that job losses from the foreclosure crisis have cost the Valley 47,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in lost wages.
The report challenges a University of California, Davis study estimating farm job losses up to 80,000 and revenue loss up to $1.6 billion. Michael contends the oft-cited study uses flawed multipliers that overestimate the effects of job losses.
Michael was the recent author of a newspaper commentary also challenging the reported impacts on Valley farms from water shortages, garnering him opposition from local farm groups.
Shawn Coburn, a Fresno County almond farmer and a founder of the California Latino Water Coalition, said Michael has compromised his credibility by distorting facts and figures to support environmentalist positions.
Coburn believes the loss of only 6,000 jobs is a gross underestimation on Michael’s part.
“He has self-appointed himself some kind of economist grand juror,” Coburn said.
The full report can be downloaded at here.
San Francisco Chronicle
Judge rebuffs Obama administration on mining rule...TIM HUBER, AP Business Writer. Associated Press Writer Dina Cappiello in Washington contributed to this report.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/12/financial/f123347D04.DTL&type=printable
Charleston, W.Va. (AP) -- A federal judge on Wednesday rebuffed the Obama administration's attempt to reverse a last-minute Bush-era rule that allows surface mine waste to be dumped near streams.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wanted the rule vacated, saying in April the regulation approved the month President George W. Bush left office "failed to pass the smell test." Salazar wanted to return to a 1983 regulation that kept coal companies 100 feet from streams unless they can prove mining won't harm water quality or quantity.
But U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. in Washington wrote in his ruling that granting Salazar's request would be tantamount to changing a federal regulation without public input.
The Interior Department said it is reviewing the decision.
"This Administration has shown it is determined to improve mining practices and we will do so within the context of the court's ruling," spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said in an e-mail.
The ruling is a victory for the U.S. coal industry but another defeat for opponents of mountaintop removal mining, a process in which mining companies remove vast areas to expose coal. While they are required to restore much of the land, the removal creates many tons of debris that's used to fill nearby valleys.
Mountaintop mines in the states where the practice is most used — West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee — produce nearly 130 million tons of coal each year, or about 14 percent of the coal that produces electricity in the U.S., and employ about 14,000 people.
Groups such as the Sierra Club want the practice banned, claiming it destroys mountaintops and pollutes water, among other things. The coal industry argues that surface mines provide high-paying jobs and cheap electricity.
Sierra Club spokesman Oliver Bernstein called the ruling "unfortunate."
"It's really going to take a comprehensive effort to end this type of mining altogether," Bernstein said. "We are glad that the Obama administration is really giving a close look to mountaintop removal coal mining, but we are still waiting to see decisions that actually end this practice altogether."
Bernstein's comments came a day after the Sierra Club criticized President Barack Obama's administration for allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to issue a mountaintop removal mining permit in southern West Virginia.
The National Mining Association applauded Kennedy's decision Wednesday. Spokesman Luke Popovich noted that the Bush administration spent better than five years rewriting the stream buffer rule, including taking public input.
"This is a particularly gratifying ruling. Not only will it reassure thousands of coal miners that their jobs are a little safer than they were yesterday, but it's likely to have much broader application for mining," Popovich said.
Indybay.com
California Water Forum Excludes Delta Communities...Dan Bacher
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/08/12/18615575.php
A California Water Forum held in Sacramento today completely excluded the people of the Delta!
"They can keep us off the panel, but rest assured that the fishing, environmental, Delta farming and boating communities will make their voices heard as we turn out to remind the Schwarzenegger administration and other proponents of a new Peripheral Canal that their scheme is not yet a done deal," said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta.
In a classic case of elitism and environmental injustice, a so-called "California Water Forum" conducted by the state and federal governments today in Sacramento completely excluded Delta farmers, fishermen, boaters and opponents of the peripheral canal from its list of panels and speakers.
California Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow invited Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes to participate in the tightly controlled forum along with the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Water Resources, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force, and the Bureau of Reclamation. "However, Delta fisherman, farmers, boaters and informed opponents of the proposed Peripheral Canal were noticeably been left out and we want to know why?” asked Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta.
“Those that live, work, and play in the Delta are a vital group with strong concerns about the future of California’s largest estuary,” Barrigan-Parrilla emphasized. “While we strongly support the need to address our State’s critical water needs at forums such as these, they should be addressed with a more comprehensive approach that safeguards the Bay, the Delta, the environment and with cost effective and environmentally sound programs and projects."
She added, "To have a California Water Issues Forum and to not include representatives from the Delta as participants is beyond the pale. They can keep us off the panel, but rest assured that the fishing, environmental, Delta farming and boating communities will make their voices heard as we turn out to remind the Schwarzenegger administration and other proponents of a new Peripheral Canal that their scheme is not yet a done deal.”
I spent 2 hours at the forum, but left in disgust after hearing one speaker after another either greenwash or avoid discussing Schwarzenegger's widely-contested plan to build the peripheral canal in order to increase water exports to corporate agribusiness and the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. No canal opponents from the Delta were invited by the state and federal agencies that hosted this dog and pony show.
The speakers included representatives from the same state and federal agencies that have presided over the collapse of Central Valley salmon, longfin smelt, Delta smelt, Sacramento splittail, green sturgeon, striped bass and other fish populations. On the main panel were Mike Chrisman, Resources Secretary, Don Glaser, Bureau of Reclamation, Don Koch, director of the Department of Fish and Game, Ren Lohoefener, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Russ Strach, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Fran Spivy Weber, State Water Resources Control Board.
The speakers on the topic of the "Bay Delta System" were all backers of the peripheral canal. These included Dr. Jeffrey Mount, the University of Davis professor who was funded by the Packard Foundation and Stephen Bechtel Jr. to produce a report for the Public Policy Institute of California advocating the construction of Arnold's "Big Ditch.
Veteran politician Phil Isenberg, another canal backer, gushed about his experiences chairing the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force, a tainted Schwarzenegger regime process that backs "dual conveyance" - a peripheral canal combined with in-Delta conveyance. "Never in my entire career has anybody asked for my independent judgment like the Governor did when he asked my to chair the task force," claimed Isenberg.
Karla Nemeth from the Natural Resources Agency discussed the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, another "collaborative" process that talks incongruously about "ecosystem restoration" while pushing Schwarzenegger's canal proposal. In fact, the Department of Water Resources this month will begin drilling the river bottoms at 16 locations on the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Mokelumne Rivers to explored potential intakes for the peripheral canal. Gwen Buchholz, DWR consultant, talked about the Status of the delta EIR/EIS.
Wendy H. Martin of DWR and Ron Milligan of the Bureau of Reclamation spoke about "current water conditions, planning for long term drought and climate change." Dan Castleberry of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carl Wilcox of the DFG and Mike Tucker of the National Marine Fisheries Service discussed current ecoystem conditions on the Delta. This was the most valuable part of the forum, since they gave the latest updates on the collapse of the Delta's pelagic (open water) species including Delta smelt, longfin smelt, threadfin shad, juvenile striped bass and plankton.
The "Delta Issues Panel" featured Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli, Yolo County Supervisor Mike McGowan, Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District, Gary Bobker, the Bay Institute, Kim Delfino, Defenders of Wildlife, and Roger Patterson, Metropolitan Water District. Again, not one of these people was from Delta communities most impacted by plans to build the canal and divert more water from senior water rights holders on the Delta to junior water rights holders in the Westlands Water District!
Although public comment was originally excluded from the forum, the forum organizers decided to allow the public to comment after the scheduled presentations were finished. This only took place after Restore the Delta sent out a press release slamming the Natural Resources Agency for not allowing public comment at the forum.
The exclusion of Delta farmers, fishermen and canal opponents from the panels at today's forum is not surprising for those who have followed the Governor's campaign to build a peripheral canal by using the Delta Vision and BDCP processes. Not only were Delta communities completely excluded from the forum's speakers and panels, but no representatives of California Indian Tribes, farmworker organizations or other environmental justice communities were invited to the forum as speakers and panelists. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, his staff and his "environmental collaborators" such as the Nature Conservancy are clearly trying to ram the canal down the throats of the people of California with no respect for the communities that will be most impacted by this environmentally destructive and enormously expensive government pork barrel project.
Million Boat Float Will Arrive Before Delta Bill Hearing...Dan Bacher
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/08/12/18615528.php
Boaters and their allies will converge on Sacramento on August 16 and 17 to defend the California Delta and to stop the mad rush by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Legislators to build a peripheral canal.
On the day before the California Legislature will hold an informational hearing on a package of water bills that provide a road map to the construction of the peripheral canal, boaters from throughout the Delta will converge on Sacramento in the first-ever Million Boat Float.
The massive two-day flotilla from August 16-17 is being organized to show that boaters and their allies are united in the defense of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta against plans by the Governor and Legislators to build the peripheral canal and destroy the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas. The proposed canal would approximate the Panama Canal in width and length.
The details on the historic event are now being finalized. The event will start with a float up the Sacramento River from Antioch on Sunday, August 17, at 8 a.m. Yachts and small boats will join the fleet from different staging points as it moves up the river. Several commercial salmon boats may join in the protest if enough donations can be collected to cover fuel costs.
Once in Sacramento, a riverside rally is planned at the Delta King in Old Sacramento at 7:00 pm. Sunday, according to Bruce Connelley, the organizer of the event.
A press conference featuring Delta advocates is also scheduled on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Robert Matsui Waterfront Park on 219 Jibboom Street in Sacramento.
The activities will continue Monday with an around the Capitol parade of trailer boats starting at 9 am. A rally with legislative and organizational speakers will top off the events at 11:00 am on the West Steps of the State Capitol. The event is drawing national media attention including the staff of "60 Minutes."
The event is sponsored by the Sportsmen Club of Antioch, Restore the Delta, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Organic Sacramento, North Delta Cares, California Striped Bass Association, Californians Against the Canal and many other organizations.
“Restore the Delta is supporting the float because it is a wonderful opportunity to show how out of sync the Legislature is with the needs of the Delta fishing and boating communities,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta.
“The Million Boat Float is a delivering a critical message in light of what corporation interests are doing to our state’s natural resources, including the destruction of the imperiled fisheries of the California Delta and Central Valley,” said John Beuttler, conservation director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. “The sportfishing public is finally getting the message that unless they stand up and oppose corporate greed, they will lose their fisheries and the state’s public trust resources.”
“The Legislators and the Governor aren’t including the Delta stakeholders in the process,” stated Bruce Connelley. “If they don’t include the Delta stakeholders and continue down the road they are going now, they will surely destroy the Delta.”
California Senators and Assemblymembers are now pushing a deceptive water bill package through the Legislature that will enable Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to build his peripheral canal, an environmentally destructive and obscenely expensive project that will approximate the Panana Canal in length and width.
SB 12, a bill sponsored by Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), will set up a Delta Stewardship Council consisting of seven members - four appointed by the Governor and one each by the Senate and the Assembly, with the seventh being the chairperson of the Delta Protection Commission, according to Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta.
How can Simitian allow Schwarzenegger, the worst-ever Governor for fish and the environment in California history, to appoint four out of seven seats of this council when the Governor wants to build the canal as a monument to his gigantic ego?
This is the same Governor that has presided over the collapse of Sacramento River salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, striped bass, Sacramento splittail and other species. This is the same Governor that has relentlessly fought the court-ordered federal government biological opinion to prevent Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and the southern resident population of killer whales from going extinct.
This is the same Governor that has fast-tracked a corrupt Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process that kicks Native Americans, fishermen and seaweed harvesters off their traditional harvesting areas off Stewarts Point and Point Arena while doing absolutely nothing to stop water pollution and the threats posed by offshore oil drilling and wave energy projects. This is the same Governor who continually engages in meaningless "green energy" corporate greenwashing photo opportunities while doing his best to destroy the California Delta and the people that depend on a healthy Delta to survive.
Meanwhile, Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) is sponsoring AB 39, a bill that includes a section on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), a Schwarzenegger-engineered plan that fishing groups, Delta farmers and many environmental groups have blasted as window dressing for building Arnold's "Big Ditch." The bill also sets the stage for the "Stewardship Council" to implement the BDCP in order to authorize the peripheral canal.
"Thus, despite Assembly Member Huffman's press release last week in which he claims not to be advancing the peripheral canal, it looks like he is allowing a peripheral canal by connecting his bill with Senator Simitian's and giving up the Legislature's authority to allow or disallow a canal," according to Barbara Barrigan Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta.
We must let the public and the Legislators know that we will not allow any legislation that supports a environmentally destructive plan like the BDCP and the peripheral canal to go through the Legislature. I urge you to attend the Million Boat Float from Antioch to Sacramento on August 16-17 and to attend the hearing on the water bills on August 18!
The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Assembly Water Parks & Wildlife Committee will hold a Joint Hearing on Aug. 18, 9:00 a.m. in Room 4202, titled "2009 Proposed Delta/Water Legislation: Perspectives on the Package.”
For more information about the legislative package and hearing, go to http://www.restorethedelta.org or http://www.calsport.org.
As the bill proceeds through the Legislature, the Department of Water Resources is planning to begin drilling at 16 locations on the Sacramento, Mokelumne and San Joaquin rivers for possible intakes for the canal. In spite of the spurious claims of its proponents that the canal will result in “ecosystem restoration," the canal will only exacerbate the unprecedented collapse of Central Valley salmon, delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon, Sacramento splittail, American shad, striped bass and other California Delta fish populations.
For updates and more details, go to http://www.millionboatfloat.org or call Bruce Connelley at 925-625-7467.
Schedule of Events for the Million Boat Float:
The Main Event - Rally on the River August 16th:
Note: All times and check points are subject to change. Check back Saturday for confirmation.
As we meet up don't forget to get your Million Boat Float pennant. There will be runners handing them out. The Coast Guard would like to see this. They will be on hand for your safety purpose. Thank you U.S. Coast Guard!
For locations of Marina's and their amenities, go to http://www.deltaboating.com/marinas-cdelta.htm
Boats in the area of the Antioch Bridge will be depart from the Sportsmen Yacht Club at 8AM to Checkpoint 1
Check point 1. For those coming from the Bay Area and the West Delta, meet up at Check point 1, between buoys 1 and 2 at Broad Slough at 9:00AM.
Check point 2. For those coming from the South & Central Delta, we will meet you at the Rio Vista Bridge at 10:00AM.
Check point 3. For those in the North Delta, hang tight, we'll get there. We will have a pause in Walnut Grove. Approx. Time 12:00PM.
Check point 4. Courtland. Approx. time 2:00PM.
Check point 5. Clarksburg. Approx. time 4:00PM.
For the Sacramento area folks and northward, relax, we'll get there. While you're waiting we will be having a press conference at 1:00PM at Matsui Waterfront Park. We need all the boats available at that time. Don't forget to get your Million Boat Float pennant. There will be runners handing them out. They'll have a large banner on their boat so it will be easy to spot them.
Notes: Please respect all waterways and boating regulations.
Communications channel will be Channel 19A on your VHF. If you don't have a radio, stay close to someone that does. Safety is the most important thing here!
Bridge Info.
There is a possibility that a tanker carrying Anhydrous Ammonia will be going up river. It will have an armed escort. Boaters must stay 100 yards from the tanker.
At 7:00PM we will have a pre-rally at the The Delta King in Old Sacramento.
FYI: The Delta King is offering special room rates at $99 for the night of the 16th if any one wants to stay ashore that night. Mention the Million Boat Float.
Swarm the Capitol - August 17th –
9:00 -10:00AM Hook up your wagons and circle the Rotunda then Rally on the west steps of the Capitol at 11:00AM. If you have a tailored boat, tractor or what ever you identify by, bring it on! Staging area will be in front of Raley Field in Old Sacramento and we will have shuttles going from there to the Capitol.
Media Advisory
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Press Contact: Roger Salazar roger [at] acostasalazar.com
(916) 444-8897
MILLION BOAT FLOAT KICK OFF PRESS CONFERENCE


Delta boaters gather in Sacramento to protest latest water legislation
SACRAMENTO – Supporters of the Million Boat Float will hold a kick-off press conference on Sunday, August 16th as thousands of Delta boaters make their way up the Sacramento River in a mass flotilla to show legislators they are united in defense of the precious Delta.
WHAT: Million Boat Float Kick-off Press Conference
WHEN: Sunday, August 16, 2009
 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Robert T. Matsui Waterfront Park
Jibboom Street at the Sacramento River, accessible from Richards Boulevard
WHO: Bruce Connelley, Oakley City Councilman
Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Alliance
Jonas Mindt, Planning and Conservation League
Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, Restore the Delta
Delta boaters are coming into Sacramento to express their concerns over a legislative water package (SB 229-Pavley; SB 12-Simitian; AB 39-Huffman; SB 458-Wolk) scheduled to be heard in Legislative committee hearings on Tuesday, August 18th. The package includes several contentious water issues including the governance structure of the Bay-Delta region, water storage and provides the framework for an updated version of the multi-billion dollar Peripheral Canal, which was overwhelmingly rejected by California voters in 1982.
The Million Boat Float will take place throughout Sunday, August 16th on the Sacramento River and culminate with a Rally on the West Steps of the Capitol at 11:00 am on Monday, August 17th.
Participants will express the Delta’s need for a voice in these negotiations, the complexity of this important issue, and the fact that this proposal will cost taxpayers billions of dollars while providing the State with no new water.
For more information, visit http://millionboatfloat.org. For information on how to participate in the Million Boat Float, contact float coordinator Bruce Connelley at 925-625-7467.
Santa Clarita Valley Signal
Cam Noltemeyer: Of fish and lawsuits. Cam Noltemeyer is a Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment (SCOPE) board member and a Santa Clarita resident. Her column reflects her own views and not necessarily those of The Signal. “Environmentally Speaking” appears Thursdays in The Signal and rotates among local environmentalists.
http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/16701/
This week, Castaic Lake Water Agency announced they have filed litigation to challenge the Federal National Marine Fisheries Agency Opinion for Delta fish species.
Among other things, the opinion found the pumps in the Delta that feed the State Water Project were pumping so much water that migrating fish could not move upstream to the spawning grounds.
Instead the fish are pulled into the pumps and destroyed.  
In some cases, so much water is pumped from the Delta that the Old River runs backwards, misleading fish into thinking that the spawning grounds lie in the wrong direction.
Again the fish end up at the pumps.
Those who don’t want to face the reality of a finite water supply have complained that it is really not the pumping that has caused the severe decline in the fish populations.
It is the discharge released into the Sacramento River from a sewage treatment plant or the amount of pesticides that run into the Sacramento River from the adjacent farm fields.
Now I don’t know about you, but when I hear that we really shouldn’t worry about the fish because it’s the sewage and pesticides that are killing them, I have to wonder, “What were they thinking?”
Isn’t this the same water we are drinking ourselves after it travels through another 400 miles of aqueducts next to more farm fields?
Others have argued that we should just let the fish go extinct. We don’t agree.
SCOPE has stated in many previous articles that the fish are our proverbial “canary in the coal mine,” the warning signal to miners of a life-threatening release of toxic killer gas that they could not see or smell.
To us, the crashing fish population is a life-threatening warning that we must not ignore.
Beginning in 2000, at the height of a building spurt and massive water demand from Southern California, it is a clear indication that this precious and finite resource is over-extended.
So here we are, in the midst of a statewide fiscal crisis with many people out of work, and both Castaic and Santa Clarita Water Co. telling the public they will substantially raise water rates next month.  And then Castaic decides to spend public money to file an expensive lawsuit?
They are worried because over 50 percent of our water now comes from Northern California through the State Water Project aqueduct.
Every new housing approval must be supplied with state water because we have fully utilized our groundwater sources.
Perhaps they believe that somehow shaking their fists at a scientific biological opinion will force nature to produce more water in the future.
As far as SCOPE is concerned, the important issue is not whether the fish are dying from sewage in the Sacramento River water or because of over pumping.  It is undoubtedly a combination of both.
So why spend public money arguing about it? It is obvious that we must work together to fix the problems.
If sewage and pesticides are the cause of the decline in the fish populations, why aren’t the water agencies working with the sanitation plants and farmers to reduce this pollution instead of spending the money on $500 an hour attorneys? How will killing the fish clean up this pollution?
It is also obvious that our state cannot afford a $10 billion peripheral canal right now, (that’s just a little less than half the amount of the entire budget deficit), especially one that would add no new water to the system.
One quick fix is the “no regrets” policies suggested by several environmental groups.
These include conservation and land-use policies that reduce water usage. They also promote enhancement of local supplies in novel ways from watering landscaping with gray water from the kitchen sink to capturing rainfall on roofs and storing it in cisterns under the house.
They believe that enhancing ground water recharge by leaving streams in a natural state or removing concrete will increase our local supplies.
SCOPE’s Integrated Water Resource Plan, approved by the city and water agencies, promoted such ideas.
But it has ground to a halt for lack of state funding in the budget crisis.
We urge the Castaic Lake Water Agency and other water districts to fund answers rather than lawsuits that will not produced any increased water supply.
Bloomberg.com
U.S. Foreclosure Filings Set Third Record-High in Five Months...Dan Levy
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aGAr2pZ9UC1o
Aug. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Foreclosure filings in the U.S. climbed to a record for the third time in five months in July as falling home prices and the recession left more homeowners unable to keep up payments or refinance.
A total of 360,149 properties received a default or auction notice or were seized last month, according to data seller RealtyTrac Inc. One in 355 households got a filing, the highest monthly rate in RealtyTrac records dating to January 2005, the Irvine, California-based company said in a statement.
“We’re in a deep hole,” Diane Swonk, chief economist at Chicago-based Mesirow Financial Inc., said in an interview. “There is a whole new wave of foreclosures tied to the cyclical dynamics of the economy.”
Foreclosures increased as the U.S. recorded another 247,000 job losses in July and home prices fell, leaving an increasing number of mortgage holders owing more than their properties were worth. The median price of an existing single-family house dropped 15.6 percent to $174,100 in the second quarter, the most in records dating to 1979, the National Association of Realtors said yesterday. Almost one-quarter of U.S. mortgage holders are underwater, property data firm Zillow.com said Aug. 11.
“There are a slew of factors showing fundamental weakness on the demand side: tighter underwriting, job loss, investors who’ve been badly burned,” said Stuart Gabriel, director of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate in Los Angeles. “We have not seen the bottom of the housing market.”
Nevada, California
July’s foreclosure filings rose 32 percent from a year earlier and 6.7 percent from June, RealtyTrac said.
Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate for the 31st consecutive month as one in 56 households there got a filing, more than six times the national average. Auctions and bank seizures both rose 20 percent from the previous month.
California had the second-highest filing rate at one in 123 households, three times the U.S. average, and initial defaults were up 15 percent from June, RealtyTrac said. Arizona was third at one in 135 households as scheduled auctions rose 25 percent from the previous month.
Unemployment was 9.4 percent in July, the Labor Department reported Aug. 8.
More than 126,000 U.S. consumers filed for bankruptcy in July, 34 percent more than a year earlier, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. The number may reach 1.4 million by the end of the year as employers cut payrolls and banks restrain lending, the institute said Aug. 4.
Loan Modifications
About 235,000 troubled borrowers have begun modifying their property loans under the government’s Making Home Affordable Program, compared with a target population of 4 million, according to an Aug. 4 Treasury Department report. About 15 percent of eligible borrowers were offered loan modifications and 9 percent entered trial agreements.
Bank of America Corp. modified about 4 percent of its qualifying loans and Wells Fargo & Co. changed 6 percent, making them the two worst performers in the program among the biggest U.S. banks, Treasury said. Citigroup Inc. modified 15 percent of its eligible loans and JPMorgan Chase & Co. changed 20 percent.
“It has been more profitable to put a home in foreclosure than restructure the loan,” Swonk said. “The only thing that helps is forgiveness of principal, and there is little willingness to do that.”
Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, Illinois, Colorado and Oregon accounted for the other states with the top 10 highest rates of foreclosure filings.
Four states accounted for almost 57 percent of total filings, with California leading at 108,104, or 50 percent more than a year earlier.
Top 10
Florida ranked second with 56,486 filings, up 23 percent, and Arizona was third at 19,694, up 48 percent. Nevada was fourth at 19,535, a 94 percent increase, RealtyTrac said.
Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan and New Jersey rounded out the top 10 states with the most filings.
New Jersey had the 18th highest rate and 6,467 filings, a 40 percent increase from a year earlier. Connecticut ranked 29th and had 1,569 filings, a 22 percent drop. New York had the 38th highest rate and 5,954 filings, down 3.5 percent.
Las Vegas had the highest foreclosure rate among metropolitan areas with a population 200,000 or more. One in 47 households got a notice, up 89 percent from a year earlier and up 6 percent from the previous month.
California had seven cities among the top 10. Stockton and Modesto ranked second and third; Merced, Riverside-San Bernardino, Bakersfield and Vallejo-Fairfield were fifth through eighth; and Sacramento was 10th.
Cape Coral-Fort Myers was fourth and Phoenix-Mesa- Scottsdale was ninth, according to RealtyTrac, which collects data from more than 2,200 counties representing 90 percent of the U.S. population.
CNN Money
Foreclosure plague: No cure yet
The housing market is still sick, with a record number of foreclosure filings posted in July...Les Christie
http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/13/real_estate/july_foreclosures/
index.htm?postversion=2009081307
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The foreclosure plague continued to devastate last month.
There were more than 360,000 properties with foreclosure filings -- including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions -- an increase of 7% from June and 32% from July 2008, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosed homes. In fact, one in every 355 U.S. homes had at least one filing during July.
"July marks the third time in the last five months where we've seen a new record set for foreclosure activity," said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. "Despite continued efforts by the federal government and state governments to patch together a safety net for distressed homeowners, we're seeing significant growth in both the initial notices of default and in the bank repossessions."
The jump occurred as several foreclosure moratoriums phased out. They were initiated by many states to give the administration's foreclosure-prevention efforts time to work. But for many help did not come: The modification and refinancing programs have met with less success than hoped.
"It's starting to reach more and more people, but we have to do better and make sure the program reaches the millions of folks we intended it to reach," said Jared Bernstein, an economics adviser to vice president Biden.
The picture would be even worse, however, without the programs.
"Each of these programs nips away at the problem of excess supply," said Doug Duncan, cheif economist for Fannie Mae, "and fights against declining prices. ... The hope is that the aggregated programs will result in less loss than would happen in the free market."
Out of their homes
RealtyTrac statistics revealed that more than 87,000 properties were repossessed by lenders, effectively sending many families out of their homes. There have been a total of 464,058 repossessions -- or REOs in industry parlance -- so far this year (through the end of July).
"We're seeing more option ARM resets, triggering defaults and more prime loans, which are failing due to job losses," said RealtyTrac spokesman Rick Sharga.
That is resulting in more filings on higher priced homes, for two reasons: 1. option ARMs were typically used for more expensive properties; 2. borrowers using prime loans generally had better credit and were able to afford more expensive houses.
Best and worst
The worst hit areas continue to be in the "sand states," with California posting the highest number of total filings, 108,104, and Nevada posting the highest rate of foreclosure at one for every 56 homes.
The other hardest hit states are Arizona, at one filing for every 135 homes, and Florida, at one for every 154. Las Vegas, with one for every 47 homes, had the highest rate among metro areas. That's Sin City's 31st consecutive month topping the list.
These were bubble states, where home prices soared and banks financed mortgages for anyone who could fog a mirror.
"We're seeing the highest levels of foreclosures in the markets that had the highest appreciation [during the boom] and the worst lending practices," said Sharga.
 
8-13-09
Meetings
8-17-09 Merced City Council/Redevelopment Agency agenda...7:00 p.m.
http://www.cityofmerced.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=7754
 
8-18-09 Merced County Board of Supervisor meeting...10:00 a.m.
http://www.co.merced.ca.us/CurrentEvents.aspx?EID=322
Current Agenda posted 72 Hours Prior To Meeting
 
8-19-09 Merced City Planny Commission meeting...7:00 p.m.
http://www.cityofmerced.org/depts/cityclerk/boards_n_
commissions/planning_commission/2009_planning_commission/
2009_planning_commission_agendas.asp
Agendas are posted the Monday before a Wednesday Planning Commission Meeting.
 
8-20-09 MCAG Governing Board meeting...3:00 p.m.
http://www.mcagov.org/govbrd.html