From: Martin Zehr <m_zehr@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [SustainActive] [SFGP-A] SFPUC Appointee Anson Moran On Water/Environment
To: "Don Eichelberger" <done7777@sbcglobal.net>, "Eric Brooks" <brookse32@aim.com>, "SF Active Greens" <active@sfgreens.org>, sustainactive@sfgreens.org
Date: Monday, June 15, 2009, 6:24 PM
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"They want water, we own the spigot." Don
"San Francisco would be given majority representative
numbers" Eric
You and Eric have said it all. You doth presume too much.
Agriculture is the supplier of food. You do not support
bio-regionalism by denying the integral role of agriculture
in the region.
Mato Ska
"In theory you are absolutely correct. These
decisions, in a just world, should be made democratically by
all citizens throughout the region.
However, what Moran was doubtless angling for (and would
put in place if he gained real power) is a selective Joint
Powers system which would be very easy for developers and ag
giants to dominate and manipulate, by bribing and donating
to suburban and valley legislators, who would have the
majority of votes on the Authority.
I would be all for a regional decision making body with
four strict conditions:
1) The communities and indigenous peoples in the Sierras at
the source of the Hetch Hetchy water would be given veto
power over all system decisions.
2) San Francisco would be given majority representative
numbers on the joint authority to protect residential
customers from the undue ag and developer theft of water
(theft the likes of which for example so long dominated the
Los Angeles water system)
3) a caucus of local independent Salmon fisherman were
given strongly weighted representation on the authority
and
4) As part of establishing the Authority, San Francisco was
forced to switch to a public power system for its
electricity customers, as has always been the requirement of
the Raker Act which gave San Francisco the legal authority
to build Hetch Hetchy in the first place.
cheers
Eric B
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:33:14 -0700
From: done7777@sbcglobal.net
To: brookse32@aim.com; active@sfgreens.org;
sustainactive@sfgreens.org
Subject: Re: [SustainActive] [SFGP-A] SFPUC Appointee
Anson Moran On Water/Environment
Mato-
I agree that all parties need to be made a part of the
decision-making process. But as we diversify our process, we
need to accommodate without becoming dominated by a faction.
Deep pocketed developers want to plant more lawns in
suburbia. And monoculture control of agribusiness is driving
the planting of more almonds and grapes, threatening bee
populations.
They want water, we own the spigot. Seems like a
bargaining chip there that could help open dialogue around
sustainability issues if there were an appropriate forum.
What is more sustainable than assuring a stable water supply
and efficient use?
At the time Moran was calling for some type of common
watershed authority, I was thinking that sounded alright,
and maybe a good way to organize at the grassroots.
But agribusiness and developers are the big gorilla in
most of the watershed's area, and their big money and
media access capabilities would need to be countered. This
could only be done by sheer numbers of activists going to
regional watershed meetings, setting up accountable and
democratic processes and running as commissioners.
I had wanted to give this more organizing priority as
a model for bioregional organizing. But in 1999, I took over
as Co-Coordinator of the Green Party of California Energy
(soon to become Green Issues) Working Group, and I never
followed through and the SFPUC and SF government acted
relatively quickly to fund HH upgrades and keep SF the sole
proprietor.
Then 911 happened....
Don
--- On Sun, 6/14/09, Martin Zehr
<m_zehr@hotmail.com> wrote:
From: Martin Zehr <m_zehr@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [SustainActive] [SFGP-A] SFPUC
Appointee Anson Moran On Water/Environment
To: "Eric Brooks"
<brookse32@aim.com>, "SF Active Greens"
<active@sfgreens.org>, sustainactive@sfgreens.org
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 3:23 PM
Eric,
help me out here. How is the City of San
Francisco making
the decisions on Hetch-Hetchy water NOT a corrupt
set-up?
Why is failing to represent agricultural users in
the region
NOT a corrupt set-up? How does bio-regionalism
exclude
diverse users, including agricultural
users and those
with water rights from engaging in the
decision-making
process?
Mato SKa
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