August, 11 2010, 03:08pm EDT
Food & Water Watch Accepts Delay of Water Bond Until 2012 as a Win
Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
WASHINGTON
"Monday night, the California Legislature voted narrowly to postpone
Proposition 18, the $11 billion water bond, to the 2012 ballot. This
vote was an admission that the bond is wildly unpopular with voters -
something that will not change in the next two years. California voters
have strongly opposed the measure because it is the wrong approach to
managing the state's public water resources. Rather than investing in
projects that benefit the public, it provides more handouts to private
interests that have overused and polluted our water in the past. The
bond's cost - $22 billion over 30 years - would short-change important
public services, including drinking and wastewater infrastructure
improvements that the state badly needs.
"The postponement of the bond to 2012 was a significant victory for
Food & Water Watch and our coalition partners, who have opposed the
bond since its passage last November. Opposition was so great that bond
supporters saw the writing on the wall: they were not going to get what
they wanted this year. It is unlikely to pass in 2012, particularly
given our commitment to work against the bond and for better water
policies over the next two years.
"Several members of the Assembly took bold steps to oppose this bond,
including Assemblymembers Huffman (Marin/Santa Rosa), Wolk (Davis),
Buchanan (Livermore), and Yamada (Vacaville). We applaud them for their
efforts and look forward to working them to promote water policies that
benefit the public, not private interests, in the years to come."
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
(202) 683-2500LATEST NEWS
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