Last weekend, the Delta water story took me to Oakland to attend the 2009 Salmon Aid Festival. The main event happened on Saturday, June 20 to Sunday, June 21, with a special Native American ceremonial salmon bake on Friday, June 19. More than two dozen organizations “including commercial, recreational and tribal fishermen, conservation organizations, chefs, restaurants, scientists, and many others” worked together to create Salmon Aid to “raise awareness of the plight of west coast salmon populations, the rivers and streams they spawn in, and the many coastal and inland communities that rely on salmon for their livelihoods and survival.” Salmon advocates came from California, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Nevada and other faraway places to support the event. The festival had education booths, activities, food, environmental film screenings and music to showcase the human connection to the fish as well as educate the public.

I had the opportunity to interview Jessie Reader, a Salmon Aid event organizer. She is also an organizer for the Tuloumne River Trust, a Native American organization concerned about the salmon declines. Below is the Q & A interview.

What did you think of the event?

Bigger and better than last year, SalmonAid 2009 featured 10 great musical acts, including Bay Area favorite Afro-Dance Band Albino!. We had sustainable seafood from some of the West Coasts finest restaurants, film screenings from the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, kids activities, and information from over two dozen organizations who work for sustainable salmon fishing and protection of our rivers and streams. Two sunny days brought out a great crowd from around Oakland and the Bay Area.

Was it a success? And why?

SalmonAid 2009 was a great success on a number of fronts. Working closely together to put on this event has significantly strengthened our unlikely but growing coalition of commercial fishing groups, recreational fishing groups, environmental organizations, and tribes. We built a platform for over 2 dozen organizations that would not have had the means to make such an outreach event happen on their own. Politically, we see that we are making an impact. Congressional Representative Barbara Lee sent a commendation, and Representative George Miller sent one of his senior staffers to read a statement of support. The festival mobilized over 1300 letters to President Obama and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Jane Lubchenco (the Federal Agency charged with enforcing the Endangered Species Act when it comes to Salmon) As we move forward, President Obama’s Administration and Congress will continue to hear from our many diverse groups speaking with one voice.

Why is it so important to have the Salmon Aid Festival this year?

The 2009 SalmonAid Festival couldn’t have come at a better time. Many of California’s native fish populations, including salmon, have crashed during the past eight years, when agency science was politically manipulated to allow ever-increasing amounts of water to be exported from the Bay-Delta – the West Coast’s largest estuary. As water exports from the Bay-Delta estuary increased to record levels, these fish populations plummeted to historic lows. Due to these steep declines, thousands of West Coast commercial, recreational, and tribal fishermen are enduring another fishery closure in California and Oregon this year, as they did in 2008. Economic losses in 2009 are predicted to total $270 million and nearly 2,700 jobs.

The June 4 release of the Biological Opinion on Sacramento River salmon from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS – an agency under NOAA) is one of the first signs that the Obama Administration is following through on their promise to reinstate sound science into policy. This Biological Opinion replaces a scientifically corrupt Bush-era opinion that a federal court threw out as legally invalid. In contrast, the 2009 Sacramento River BiOp underwent two separate peer reviews to ensure that it was based on the best available science. We are encouraged to think that the means the Administration cares about the fate of wild Pacific salmon and the many human communities (as well as other creatures) that depend on this magnificent fish. The BiOp sends a message of hope to the many people who depend on the salmon economy across the West Coast.

SalmonAid 2009 also comes on the heels of a failed attempt by Congressman Nunes to pass an amendment that would have prohibited NMFS from spending any funds to implement the BiOp and enforce the Endangered Species Act. Nunes’ desire was to stop any potential cutbacks to the amount of water being taken out of the Delta for agribusiness, and the rational was that the ESA was going to hurt the CA economy. Our rebuttal is this: We are facing cutbacks because the water agencies have severely mismanaged the water resources; they have promised water that isn’t available. Endangered fish are a very small part of the story. (To use an analogy, this proposal is akin to repealing drunk driving laws because one would like to to get drunk. We don’t repeal laws because they are sometimes inconvenient to follow.) SalmonAid commends Congressional Reps. Miller and Thompson for their leadership in defeating this dangerous amendment. We expect that this is only the first of numerous attack on the integrity of the NMFS BiOp. The SalmonAid 2009 festival is well timed, and our coalition is actively calling on the rest of Congress to defend the ESA. Congress needs to wake up and address the real problems – which are the mismanagement of our natural resources, not our environmental laws.

How many people attended?

Jack London Square estimates that about 9,000 people came through the Festival.

What were the goals for the event?

The political goals of the festival were to educate the public about the current crisis of wild Pacific salmon, the direct effects that crisis is having on so many human communities, and the solutions for this crisis which require major improvements to the way we manage water systems in this state, as well as the restoration of key rivers and estuaries. We wanted to get our “Restore Rivers, Recover Salmon, Rebuild Jobs” message out, and at that we’ve succeeded quite well. We also wanted to collect 1000 signed postcards to President Obama and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chief Dr. Jane Lubchenco, and we got over 1300.

Other goals include educating consumers about the health and environmental differences between farmed and wild salmon, and to encourage them to “Vote with their fork” by asking for Wild Salmon only at their restaurants and supermarkets. Food at SalmonAid was provide by several fine restaurants that have taken a pledge never to serve farmed salmon.

A final goal of the SalmonAid festival was to celebrate the central role these magnificent fish play in our West Coast economy, ecology, and culture. We wanted to create a positive event with a positive message, and to have a lot of fun – which worked out quite well!

What is the most important environmental goal to your organization, the Tuolumne River Trust?

The Tuolumne River Trust’s goal was to educate the urban Bay Area public about how water conservation on our part can play a key role in salmon recovery. Over 2.5 million people in the greater Bay Area get tap water from the Tuolumne River. The Trust recently won a 5 year campaign to stop the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission from implementing a plan that would have taken an additional 25 million gallons of water per day out of this salmon-supporting river – that’s enough to fill 1,000 swimming pools per day. In a compromise decision, we now have 10 years to hit water conservation and recycling targets, so that we don’t have to revisit the idea of taking more water out of this wild and scenic river down the road. Keeping enough cold flowing water in our rivers and streams is vital to salmon being able to successfully reproduce. In the last decade, salmon populations on the Tuolumne River have crashed from 18,000 to less than 500 fish.

For concerned folks, how can they most help the salmon?

People can most help wild Pacific salmon by:
1) Communicating to elected officials (federal, state, and local) that they value wild salmon and the rivers that support us all
2) Joining their local watershed/salmon protection organization and learning about their local issues
3) Requesting that their local restaurants and supermarkets serve only wild salmon/asking “do you serve wild salmon” whenever buying fish at a restaurant or market

More information about the National Marine Fisheries Services’ recent biological opinion concerning the salmon populations and the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project can be found here.

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Environmentalists concerned about the water quality of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta are accusing California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s State Water Resources Control Board as “discarding long-existing regulations protecting water quality (and fisheries) in order to protect the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from their continuing violations of the Public Trust and Bay-Delta water quality standards.”

On Thursday, June 25, the California State Water Resources Control Board will hold a public hearing to determine whether to modify Order WR 2006-0006 that, in part, adopted a Cease and Desist Order (C&D) against the DWR and the Bureau. The Order basically enforces a water quality standard in the Delta. Like most of the debate surrounding the Delta, the standards go back a long way.

In order to measure and control the salinity levels in the Delta waters, the State Board adopted standards in 1978 and reaffirmed them in 1995 and 2006.  These Board standards required the DWR and the Bureau to implement the 0.7 mmhos/cm electrical conductivity (EC) water quality objective for agricultural beneficial uses applicable from April through August of each year at the interior southern Delta compliance locations (i.e., San Joaquin River at Brandt Bridge, Old River near Middle River, and Old River at Tracy Road Bridge).  These measures became known as the interior southern Delta salinity objectives (Order WR 2006-0006) and were adopted on February 16, 2006.

After its passage, the Board ordered DWR and the Bureau “to take corrective actions under a time schedule to obviate the threat of noncompliance with thier permit and license conditions.” This plan included implementing permanent barriers to control the salinity in the Delta. To comply, the DWR and Bureau submitted a plan and schedule to create permanent operable gate structures in the southern Delta through the South Delta Improvement Program (SDIP) by July 1, 2009. According to the State Board, this gate project was contingent upon environmental documentation, regulatory requirements and compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Since completion of the plan and schedule, the DWR and Bureau have failed to meet the salinity standards and install the permanent barriers. The organizations submitted various biological opinions from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service to the State Board, which stated the barriers could not be constructed for several more years—- thus, not meeting the July 1, 2009 deadline for compliance.

Environmentalists from organizations like the California Sport Fishing Alliance and Restore the Delta contend that the salinity standards were protective of the Delta agriculture and the aquatic ecosystem and must be enforced.

Bill Jennings, Executive Director of California Sport Fishing Alliance, issued the following statement regarding the effects on the Delta’s fish, wildlife and water.

However, it became obvious by early 2007 that the gate structures (barriers) faced huge problems and would be delayed and likely would never be constructed. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) expressed serious concerns about the project’s effects on fish and wildlife. In fact the recently released Biological Opinion from NMFS on Delta operations states that DWR shall not implement the South Delta Improvement Project and barriers because the project would adversely modify critical habitat and NMFS has not identified an alternative to the permanent gates that meets the requirements of the federal Endangered Species Act.

However, Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, Campaign Director of Restore the Delta, thinks there is a bigger plan behind the water salinity standards hearing.

“The Delta’s water quality has failed to meet the standards.  So, (the DWR and the Bureau) are pushing through emergency legislation because they don’t have to enforce the law,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, Campaign Director for Restore the Delta, an environmental organization created to promote awareness of Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta issues.

“They don’t want to enforce the law because it weakens the standards,” said Barrigan-Parilla.  “It’s another reason for Schwarzenegger and the Department of Water Resources to promote the canal.”

Although Jennings didn’t mention the contentious perperhal canal, he agreed with the suggestion that the State Board doesn’t want to enforce the standards.

“Rather than enforce the Cease & Desist and require the DWR and Bureau to implement measures from the many available identified options that would ensure compliance with water quality salinity standards, the State Board has scheduled a hearing to consider modifying the C&D to immunize the DWR/Bureau from their repeated violations,” said Jennings.

Jennings explained that the Cease & Desist order had several options for the DWR and Bureau to stop the salinity violations. These measure included “additional releases of water from upstream Central Valley Project (CVP) facilities or south of the Delta State Water Project (SWP) & CVP facilities, modification in the timing of releases from SWP/CVP facilities, reduction in exports, recirculation of water through the San Joaquin River, purchases or exchanges of water under transfers from other entities, modified operation of temporary barriers, reductions in highly saline drainage from upstream sources or alternative supplies to Delta farmers.”

The upcoming hearing will determine if the State Water Board will make any modifications to the Order WR 2006-0006 (Part A) and any protective measures for the Delta. And it may answer the environmentalists charges concerning the Governor’s commitment to the Delta.

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The age-old battle over “blue gold,” commonly known as water, is boiling over in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – America’s Most Endangered River. Most analysts are calling it the fight between the people versus the fish. However, there is more to this battle than meets the eyes.

On the surface, the farmers, fishermen, urban users and environmentalists are all fighting over the dwindling water supply in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Overextended water rights, climate change, population growth, less snow pack runoff and drought conditions for the past three years has resulted in a decreased water supply. The dwindling river and continued water exports have put salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon fish populations on the endangered lists as well as the Northwest Pacific killer whales that rely on this food supply. For the past two years, salmon seasons have closed early because of the declining fish populations. As a result, federal judge Wanger had issued an executive order decreasing the amount of water exports for agricultural and urban uses to protect the fish populations.

Although the fishing industry is pleased with any decision to protect the fish, ecosystems and consequently their livelihoods, agribusiness users who rely on the exports are screaming bloody murder as their water exports are decreased, their crops threatened and their livelihoods hanging in the midst. And major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, which receives about 30 percent of its water from the Delta, stand to lose a portion of their dwindling water supply.

This past week, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a biological opinion that the Delta’s fish populations face “dire environmental conditions unless irrigation from the federal Central Valley Project and the California State Project – already at historic lows – are curtailed even further.”

Specifically, the NMFS’ directive called for a reduction in irrigations supplies by another 5 to 7 percent a year as well as measures to help the endangered fish species. For example, the agency recommended opening the Red Bluff Diversion Dam on the Sacramento River completely to allow the Chinook salmon and sturgeon unimpeded passage, which would aid their reproduction.

California Gov. Schwarzenegger is not pleased with the order.  In a statement, he said the plan “puts fish above the needs of millions of Californians and the health and security of the world’s eighth-largest economy. The piling on of one federal court decision after another in a species-by-species approach is killing our economy and undermining the integrity of the Endangered Species Act.”

The San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and Southern California stand to lose about 330,000 acre feet per year in water deliveries based on the new restrictions, according to NMFS. So, urban users, water districts and the farming industry plan to fight back through lawsuits that challenge these orders. The Westlands Water District, which supplies water to the mega farms in San Joaquin Valley, will be a major player in the upcoming legal battle.

“If it were allowed to stand, this … would be a death sentence for large parts of California’s economy. Communities in the San Joaquin Valley are already experiencing 40 percent unemployment rates,” Fresno-based Westlands, the nation’s largest water district, said in a statement.

Water reductions, endangered fish, imperiled ecosystems have set the stage for a political and legislative battle to determine how the Delta’s precious resource will be divided and saved. (There are currently 16 pending bills before the California Legislature, which attempt to tackle the various challenges in the Delta.)

My reporting will continue to cover the ongoing battle over the water in the Delta as well as the political fight staged over the resolutions – namely the peripheral canal and the stalled implementation of the Delta Vision Task Force’s recommendations.

More to come….

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“Hip-Hop: You are the Love of My Life.”

It’s rare to find a movie that mixes music, culture, humor and love in an artistic and intelligent manner. Brown Sugar (2002) starring Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs does just that. It’s a refreshing romantic comedy that features the unsung love between two old friends and their love affair with the tie that bonds them – hip-hop.

Pete Rock, De La Soul, Method Man, Jermaine Dupre, Common and Russell Simmons. These are just a few of hip-hop music‘s greats. Brown Sugar opens with their honest and revealing responses to the question: “So when did you fall in love with hip-hop?”

This is the question that Sidney Shaw (Sanaa Lathan), a music journalist, has asked of her interviewees for the past 10 years. It is also the question of her life. In the beginning, her answer was simple. “I remember the very first day I fell in love with hip hop. It was July 18, 1984.”

It’s no coincidence that this day was also the day she met Dre Ellis (Taye Diggs) on a New York brownstone stoop 15 years ago. (The film was one of the first productions to shoot on location in New York after 9/11.) Both of them stopped to stare at a lyrical battle in the Bronx between rappers Doug E. Fresh, Dana Dane, and Slick Rick the Ruler. This moment was their initiation into the hip-hop culture and forever defined their love for the genre.

The two impressionable youngsters let music be their life’s guide. Dre became a well-known record producer and executive for a major record label. And Sidney has succeeded in her career as a film critic, working first for the Los Angeles Times and then as editor of hip-hop magazine, XXL. She is also authoring a book on her love affair with rap music.  Her discussion of hip-hop for the manuscript serves as the poetic thread and shining star that guides the story along.

Although Sidney and Dre seem to be perfect for one another and have a lot in common like music and childhood experiences, they’ve never pursued a relationship. Instead, they’ve kept it platonic and remained close — just like their rapport with hip-hop.

“For many people, hip-hop was that first friend. The first to talk to us. The first to understand. Hip-hop has always been that kind of friend to me. Like any relationship, I’ve watched it grow. I’ve watched it change,” said Sidney as she typed her manuscript.

Somewhat of a workaholic, Sidney hasn’t made much time for romance. On the other hand, smooth and suave Dre is quite the player who has had his choice of women. However after dating one special woman for a couple of months, a beautiful entertainment attorney Reese (Nicole Ari Parker of TV’s “Soul Food”), who he calls “brown sugar” because she is “wifey material” – smart and fine, he decides to pop the question.  Reese, who doesn’t yet realize the strong connection between Sidney and Dre, joyfully accepts.

As Dre’s best friend, Sidney does her best to fight her feelings and support his upcoming nuptials and relationship with Reese, who quickly learns that their relationship comes second to his friendship with Sid.  Dre’s impending marriage to Reese only continues to stirs up Sidney’s emotions that she’s trying her best to ignore. Her cousin and friend, Francine (Queen Latifah), tells her she should fight for her man. In Francine’s words, Sidney could get the best of both worlds – “the buddy and the booty.”

Although there are a couple of bumps along the walk down the aisle, Dre and now jealous Reese manage to get married. And maybe, just maybe, the two old chums are better of as friends?

Seeking to downplay (and cover up) her feelings for Dre, Sidney finds a few spare moments for an interview with a handsome basketball player, Kelby Dawson (Boris Kodjoe of “Soul Food”). After a storybook pursuit, complete with a house full of roses, the two end up dating. So, even though Sidney and Dre have loving, successful and attractive partners, (people only most of us could dream of) they have difficulty focusing their hearts on their lovers.  Instead of giving into the temptation to be together, they simply try harder to fight the surfacing feelings.

“Just when you think you know everything about hip-hop, it finds a way to surprise you,” says Sidney.

Using hip-hop as a metaphor for their relationship, Sidney and Dre use the music’s lyrics and their memories with songs to cope with life’s challenges. Like when Dre decides to quit his powerful record label position because “hip-hop has lost its way,” he meets up with Sid to play lyric guessing games. And reminiscing about Tribe Called Quest’s “Bonita Applebum” and Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere” provides the inspiration for him to start his own record label. He hopes to bring back “real hip-hop” by signing a cab driver and MC, Chris ‘Cav’ Anton Vichon, played by real-life rapper Mos Def.

The rest of the movie follows Sidney and Dre as they try to make sense of their relationships, lives and careers through the changing verses of hip-hop songs.

“So, what is the difference between rap and hip-hop? It’s like the difference in saying that you love someone and being in love with somebody. Rap is just a word,” said Sidney.

Ultimately, the two lifelong friends are forced to choose between loving who is in their hearts versus who they think they should love. And in the end, they must determine the true meaning of love.

“I always thought one day I would outgrow my relationship with hip-hop. I never thought it was a fad like many, but I never thought it could grow and mature,” said Sidney.

In addition to the complexities of love, the film definitely showcases some of the best of hip-hop.   But it’s also not blind to the cultural critique that it has become too commercialized. For humor and for criticism, Brown Sugar does a good job of making fun of the state of the hip-hop industry with group, “Ren & Ten” the hip-hop Dalmatians, who are represented by Dre’s former company, Millennium Records. A black and white male duo dressed up in hilarious spotted coats with songs like “The Ho Is Mine” (a spoof of Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson‘s “The Girl Is Mine”) goes a long way in depicting the tension between hip-hop and how its need to make money often bastardizes it. It’s the common struggle between art and economics.

Thus, it’s a no-brainer with a film so wrapped up in music that its soundtrack and score, composed by Robert Hurst, delivers. And if you enjoy hip-hop, it is pure musical genius. In between musings over life, the audience gets snippets of electrifying rap songs and thunderous bass beats like Boogie Down Production’s “The Bridge is Over” and Mos Def’s “Brown Sugar” featuring Faith Evans. The songs, like hip-hop, become the other main character that serves to lift, reinforce and underline the high and low points in the movie.

Brown Sugar is directed by Rick Famuyiwa (The Wood), co-written by Michael Elliott and marks Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s debut as an executive producer on a feature film. Michael Elliot, whose writing credits include Like Mike and MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera, said “when he was writing Brown Sugar, he had a desire to create a love story inside the world that he loved–hip hop.”

“I always felt like all the great love stories weren’t ones that had Black people in them,” said Elliot in an interview. “I just wanted to create something really romantic that by the end of the movie, touched you.”

Both Elliot and Famuyiwa wanted to create a romantic comedy that would stand up next to some of the best like When Harry Met Sally (1989), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) and feel as heartfelt as Love & Basketball (2000) another film that also starred Sanaa Lathan.

“I love doing stories about friendships and relationships and how we fall in love,” explained Famuyiwa, who made his film directorial debut with The Wood (1989). “I thought that it would be interesting to make a film where the characters’ love for the music spoke to the love that they had for each other. That’s the idea that I wanted to play with.”

In addition to the intelligent romantic comedy plot and the poetic use of the lyrics to move the scenes along, Brown Sugar exceeds because of its all-star cast. Sanaa Lathan (who plays Sidney Shaw) is a Tony Award-nominated, NAACP Image Award-winning actress who has starred in several box office hits including Love & Basketball (2000), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Something New (2006) and Tyler Perry’s The Family that Preys (2008). A dynamic actress, Lathan has become well known for her roles in romantic comedies based on the African American experience.

Similarly, handsome theater, film and television actor Taye Diggs (who played Dre Ellis) has become a household name.  The Jamaican born Diggs is most known for his roles in the Broadway musical “Rent,” the 1998 motion picture How Stella Got Her Groove Back (based on the bestselling book by Terry McMillian) and the current hit television show “Private Practice.”

Together, Lathan and Diggs sizzle on screen in a performance that has chemistry and realism.

“There’s only so far that you can go pretending to be best friends, but Taye and I have worked together before,” says Lathan of her chemistry with Diggs. “We’ve been friends ever since then, so we’re very comfortable with each other. We’re able to be silly and let it all hang out.”

Brown Sugar also features all-star performances by two hip-hop legends, Queen Latifah and Mos Def who add humor and light-heartedness to the romantic comedy. And to round out the sexy and eye candy nature of the film, Boris Kudjoe (Kelby Dawson) and Nicole Ari Parker (Reese), who are both the stars of the Showtime series “Soul Food”, bring an special spark to the screen with their chemistry. A true heartthrob, Kudjoe was named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by People Magazine in 2002. (Parker and Kudjoe share their own special connection because the two are married with children in real life.

Part of Brown Sugar‘s brilliance is that it doesn’t oversimplify its characters or confine them to predictable patterns. For example, cheaters are not made into villains. Disagreements are resolved amicably and without violence or bloodshed. And unlike the often stereotypical portrayal of African Americans on the screen as loud, violent and full of dirty humor, these characters are smart, funny, honest, warm and realistic.

Whether or not you are a fan of hip-hop, you will relate to the struggles of loving your best friend and following your heart in this romantic comedy. And although the ending is admittedly a bit syrupy sweet, it doesn’t disappoint. Brown Sugar manages to blend music and love at just the right tempo because after all – Sidney and Dre are “the perfect verse over a tight beat.”

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I don’t know about you but I’m super happy that the Black Eye Peas (i.e., will.i.am + Fergie et al) are back with another hit record. I am really feeling their latest song – “Boom Boom Pow.” This song has been number one on the pop charts Top 100 for the third week in a row and the number one download on iTunes for yet another week. They’ve sold over a million copies of the digital single – amazing! Although the track is definitely one that will get your booty shaking, the video leaves a little to be desired. I was hoping for another video that I wouldn’t be able to stop watching (like Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It” featuring T-Pain). Anyway, there is something simple and enjoyable about the beat and lyrics that gets this song stuck in my head.  And the album – “The END” (The “Energy Never Dies”) is coming June 9th. Enjoy!!!

-The Caramel Bella

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Be green, buy hybrids and recycle are all a part of the Earth Day hype and overall environmental awareness. But what about environmental justice and environmental racism.

In honor of Earth Day, I spoke with Bill Gallegos, the Executive Director of Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). This nonprofit is “a social justice organization with a focus on environmental health and justice that organizes in working class communities of color because those communities suffer the most from environmental pollution and toxics.  CBE works in urban communities in Northern and Southern California among low-income African Americans, Latinos and other nationalities who are bombarded by pollution from freeways, power plants, oil refineries, seaports, airports, and chemical manufacturers. “

Communities for a Better Environment

During my host interview on Annenberg Radio News Tuesday, Gallegos and I discussed the environmental conditions in Southeast Los Angeles. Listen below!

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Last week Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the federal government would provide California with $260 million to help update its antiquated water system and finance projects to relieve the state’s water woes. And California stands to receive a substantial portion of the $135 million in grants allocated for state water recycling and reuse programs. In essence, California is getting a water bailout.

There’s no questioning the fact that California’s water system needs the money. And with the recent placement of the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta as the most endangered river system in the nation by American Rivers, it’s apparent that the state needs all the help it can get.

California’s massive system of reservoirs, pumps and canals, built a half century ago, was designed for a population half the size of the state’s 37.7 million, Salazar said after a helicopter tour of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Associated Press.

However, the question that begs asking is – will the federal stimulus funds fix the Delta problems?

Spreck Rosekrans, an Economic Analyst for the Environmental Defense Funds, thinks the spending should be scrutinized because many of the problems associated with the environment in general and water projects in California and in the West in particular are that they’ve been paid for with subsidized dollars. And he bets that these projects would not have been cost-effective if the people who benefited from them had to pay for them. In fact, the projects would not have been constructed at all – like some of the California dams.

“We’ve sort of been on this campaign to get good sound economics into the environmental equation, said Rosekrans about the mission of the nonprofit organization, Environmental Defense Fund, which is known for using science to evaluate environmental problems as well as develop and advocate solutions in what many experts call a “nonpartisan, cost-efficient and fair” manner.

“Thinking that if we do so, we’ll make smarter choices. It’s not the only factor of course but it’s important.”

Spreck Rosekrans highlighted the government’s plan for spending the $260 million on water projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). In addition to their environmental impact and benefits, the expenditures were evaluated for cost-effectiveness based on EDF’s usual standard called the “beneficiary pays.”

Based on the information provided by the U.S. Department of Interior, roughly 40 percent of the funds, or $109.8 million, will build a screened pumping plant at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam to protect fish populations while delivering water to agricultural users irrigating approximately 150,000 acres.”

In the case of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, Rosekrans says normally the people who divert water should pay for those improvements. However in this particular case, it would be taking the standard to the extreme because they’ll say, they can’t afford it.

Besides, the EDF is happy that the public’s money will be spent on the fixes to the Red Bluff Diversion Dam because it is currently blocking endangered salmon from swimming to cold water areas (which are in short supply), said Rosekrans.

“The improvements to the Red Bluff Dam are important to try and keep the Central Valley winter and spring run salmon from becoming extinct,” said Rosekrans.

In addition, almost $31 million in federal funds will be spent on the Folsom Dam.  Specifically, “22.3 million to address dam safety concerns at the Folsom Dam near Sacramento, which is currently among the highest risk dams in the country for public safety.” And another $8.5 million will be used to repair the dam’s water-related infrastructure.

“They’re improving the ability to get water out of the dam quickly when they see a flood coming,” said Rosekrans who was there for the dam’s dedication.

There is also $20 million for the Contra Costa Canal to build fish screens and protect water supplies for 500,000 Californians. Rosekrans points out that this expenditure is similar to Red Bluff Dam project because it will protect endangered fish. In the case of Contra Costa, these screens will help increase the populations of the winter-run Chinook salmon and the endangered Delta smelt.

The Battle Creek Salmon/Steelhead Restoration projects stands to receive $26 million of the $260 million, or a tenth, to help restore fisheries that supply thousands of jobs in northern California. This project will also increase the availablility cold water, which benefits the salmon populations.

“So, half the money seems to be for endangered salmon,” said Rosekrans after adding up the money spent on the Red Bluff Diversion dam, Contra Costa Canal and the Battle Creek Salmon/Steelhead projects.

According to Rosekrans, the EDF thinks the majority of the water-related economic investments in California are for environmentally related projects that are for the public’s benefit.

“For the most part, we are supportive of these projects and don’t think they are particularly offensive for public money to be spent on these things, Rosekrans said. “And generally its a good thing for public money to be spent on these things.”

However, on behalf of the EDF, Rosekrans expressed some concerns about the separate allocation of $135 million to be spent on water reuse and recycling projecs.

“Folks are just lining up for the stimulus money. So, I do have concerns that this part of the money is used in a cost effective way. Water recycling projects vary tremendously in cost and benefit. In some places they make sense and in other places they don’t. I would hope they would be matched by significant local dollars for projects that are shown to be cost-effective,” said Rosekrans.

Therefore, after evaluating most of the funding spent on California’s water problems, it appears that the most endangered river system in the nation, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, will not benefit directly.

“No, very little of this money is being spent on the Delta,” said Rosekrans with the EDF. “The Delta is at least a $10 billion dollar problem.”

So for the Delta, which provides water to nearly two-thirds of all Californians and is suffering from a three year drought, may not have a federal bailout after all.

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The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted Tuesday to reduce its water deliveries across the region by 10% this summer.

The water board has hinted for months that a major reduction was coming down the pipe due to drought conditions (for the past three years) and restrictions on water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Basically, there is more demand than available supply.

As the water district’s general manager, Jeffrey Kightlinger summed it up nicely with – “We’re short.”

These are the agency’s first cuts to residential water users since the early 1990s drought. According to the North County Times, “the agency cut deliveries 17 percent in 1991 and 10 percent in 1977.” The cuts will begin on July 1 and last for a year.

And there is more bad news for Southern California residents. In addition to a smaller water allocations, the water rates will increase about 26 percent (on average) on Sept. 21.

“The era of big lawns is over,” said Bob Yamada, water resources manager for the San Diego County Water Authority.  “I think we’re going to have to make some lifestyle changes with regard to how we use water, and particularly how we use water outside.”

The Los Angeles Times explains the new reductions and its penalties:

“The Metropolitan Water District, which imports water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta and the Colorado River and sells it to local water districts, will achieve the reductions by imposing penalty rates. Local utilities that use more than their allocation will have to pay more.”

“If Southern CA has been waiting for a signal to implment mandatory conservation…they certainly got it yesterday from the MWD,” twittered Ryan Alsop of the Long Beach Water Department.

Yet, the Los Angeles City Council just rejected the LA Department of Water and Power’s proposal to increase water rates and face penalties to encourage residents to decrease water consumption by 15 percent. The Council asked for more time to review and vet the proposal. Meanwhile, Long Beach has instituted a successful conservation program (pdf) over 21 months ago. Just last month, it “hit a 10-year low in consumption, or 14% drop in average water use.”

These are the types of measures that environmentalists concerned about the restoration and preservation of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been calling for for years. In fact, Doug Lovell, the Director of the Northern California Federation of Fly Fishers, is all in favor of a concept called “Regional Self-Sufficiency” or “Regional Water Reliability” being orchestrated by the Department of Water Resources.

“And it’s promoting the concepts that each area needs to be more self-contained and self-reliant when it comes to using their resources – in particular their stretched water resources in California,” said Lovell who believes the movement is underway in Los Angeles.

In addition to water conservation, Lovell cites desalination, reuse of wastewater and the beneficial use of stormwater as ways for areas outside of the Delta such as Los Angeles to become more water self-sufficient.

“That type of emphasis is going to solve some of the problems created by just exporting the resources from one place to another,” said Lovell.

And although water reductions can’t solve California’s water shortage problems or the issues in the Delta, it is a big part of the answer. According to Lovell, there are three major factors to restore and preserve the Delta ecosystem and create a sustainable water supply. He says the science is fairly clear that (1) water operations have to be changed, (2) toxins need to be controlled, and (3) invasive species need to be controlled.

And the recent Metropolitan Water District’s decision to reduce the amount of water available to Southern California shows that water exports from the Delta are a major component of the Golden State’s water equation.

“And if I had to put a priority on [factors], I would put the priority on the one that is most contentious — and that’s water operations,” said Lovell. “And that involves the quantity and the timing of the water that is exported, diverted or otherwise not allowed to flow through the Delta. It also addresses the issue of where that water is diverted from.”

The NCFFF Director says water exports are contentious because it involves people’s livelihood directly. Both the state and federal pumping plants export a little over 6 million acre feet a year from the Delta in a normal year. (And Lovell and other environmentalists estimate that of the 6 million acres per foot, 80 percent of that exported water goes to agriculture and helps drive a $25-40 billion irrigated agricultural economy.)

Thus, where the water goes and where the water flows are the major issues of the day. And with water reductions in place, the issue is waking Californians up and hitting them in their pockets.

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Big news for California and its water supply — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar pledged $260 million in federal stimulus money to help California modernize its outdated water system and ease its water problems.

Salazar and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went on a helicopter tour of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Wednesday. The federal official saw first-hand California’s overtaxed water system of reservoirs, pumps and canals (designed to supply water to only half of the state’s 37.7 million population), which were built more than 50 years ago.
The federal funds will help California deal with the drought and institute an updated system.

“It is time to modernize, it is time to make hard choices and it’s time for the federal government to re-engage in full partnership with the 21st century water system for the state of California,” he said to the Associated Press.

Salazar plans to use money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create jobs in California and aid its water supply problems.

“From boosting water supplies and improving conservation to improving safety at our dams, these shovel-ready projects will make a real and immediate difference in the lives of farmers, businesses, Native American tribes and communities across California,” Salazar said to Reuters.

Gov. Schwarzenegger also used the tour of the Delta with Salazar to promote his plan to build a peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and more dams. Delta environmentalists are either outright opposed to the canal or believe it requires more research.

Doug Lovell of the Northern California Federation of Fly Fishers says the canal is in the “maybe category” because there are still too many questions that need to be answered with scientific information.

The main question is “what happens to the water quality of the Delta if we change the point of diversion (with the canal)?” said Lovell. Other considerations include the nature of the water deviations like when will it be diverted and how much?

For others like Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla of Restore the Delta, the canal is simply a bad idea.

“Building a 6.5 acre canal will kill off species in the Delta and cause it to salt up,” said Barrigan-Parrilla.

So, although the “bailout” funds are good for California, they also open up a can of worms concerning the best way to solve the state’s water shortage problems.

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