[env-trinity] Magic Kingdom Meets Water Barons' Sleight-of-Hand

[Dan Bacher]

http://www.fishsniffer.com/forums/content.php?r=198

Magic Kingdom Meets Water Barons' Sleight-of-Hand

by Dan Bacher

A trip to Disneyland is always fun, right?

Maybe not... that's if you have to listen to a comedian/grower,  
southern California water agency hacks and others talk about the need  
to export more water from the California Delta at the expense of  
imperiled Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other fish  
populations by building a peripheral canal and new dams.

"On May 14, you could take a working vacation to attend the 3rd  
Annual OC (Orange County) Water Summit at the Grand Californian Hotel  
at the Disneyland Resort," quipped Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla,  
campaign director of Restore the Delta.

The event, entitled "Capture the Flow," is sponsored by the  
Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). "California  
continues to confront significant challenges to its water future – an  
outdated water system, severe water supply shortages due to drought,  
and regulatory restrictions on water deliveries," the event's press  
release proclaims. "Our water delivery system was built a generation  
ago to meet the needs of 16 million people – it now strains to meet  
the needs of 38 million. Business owners, policy makers, and  
community leaders need information and resources to continue to  
thrive." (http://www.acwa.com/events/2010-orance-county-water-summit- 
capture-flow)

The speakers are Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez; Paul Rodriguez  
("actor, comedian, and water activist"); Joel Kotkin, author of "The  
Next Hundred Million: America in 2050"; Robert Boller, Vice President  
of Sustainability for Kendall-Jackson Winery; and Curt Schmute  
("expert on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta").

"Mr. Schmute acquired his expertise on the Delta as the Principal  
Engineer and Water Resources Manager for Metropolitan Water  
District," said Barrigan-Parrilla.

"The cost is $125," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "Of course, you might not  
want to pay $125 to hear Paul Rodriguez tell you why agribusiness  
needs more water."

Rodriguez, a comedian and San Joaquin Valley fruit grower, is the  
spokesperson for the Latino Water Coalition, an astroturf group  
serving as a front for corporate agribusiness. The group was formed  
at the suggestion of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during a meeting  
with agribusiness interests. The group has relentlessly lobbied for a  
peripheral canal and new dams and more water exports for the San  
Joaquin Valley's Corporate Welfare Queens.

In a bizzare incident last week, Rodriguez claimed that  
Schwarzenegger had appointed him to the California Water Commission,  
a claim that Schwarzenegger denied.

"When Paul Rodriguez announced last week, prematurely, that he had  
been appointed to the California Water Commission, he may have  
inadvertently tipped off environmentalist and Senate Democrats to get  
ready for battle," according to Malcolm Maclachlan in the Capitol  
Weekly (http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php? 
_c=ytltxbaky694ql&xid=ytjvqjzz05x81o&done=.ytltxbaky6x4ql).

For more information about the Latino Water Coalition, read Lloyd  
Carter's excellent article: http://www.lloydgcarter.com/content/ 
090629251_the-pr-firm-from-hell. More information is also available  
at: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php? 
title=California_Latino_Water_Coalition.
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