Sep 23 2014
Group Asserts that California’s Proposition 1 Will Enrich Corporations And Not Save Water
The Central Valley town of East Porterville maybe ground zero for drought in California. Wells in the tiny, mostly poor and Latino town are beginning to run dry and local news outlets are reporting that some residents are having to use Portapotties set up outside their homes. Gov. Jerry Brown has set aside half a million dollars in funds to purchase bottled drinking water for East Porterville’s residents.
Clearly the Governor is taking the historic drought seriously. His solution to the problem is to urge voters to pass a multi billion-dollar bond measure to build dams and repair water sheds. The measure, which will be Proposition 1 on this November’s ballot, is called the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014.
But critics say the bond measure is a giveaway to corporate agricultural interests and will actually do little to conserve water. The total cost of financing the programs outlined in the bill will be $7.7 billion, which does not include interest.
GUEST: Alexandra Nagy, Southern California organizer with Food and Water Watch
Visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org and noonprop1.org for more information.
One Response to “Group Asserts that California’s Proposition 1 Will Enrich Corporations And Not Save Water”
I lived in Brea, CA for 26 years, beginning in 1987. During the late 80’s & early 90’s, there was a profound water shortage. The Brea water utility used 3 methods to cover its shortage: surcharges on customers to discourage overuse, penalties for watering lawns & long-term contracts with expensive outside water providers. After rainfall & water reserves normalized, Brea customers continued to pay surcharges on water because (as I recall the facts) Brea contracted to buy expensive water whether it needed that water or not.