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Alyson to reintroduce bill requiring legislative approval of canal
Submitted by Randy on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 17:32
Alyson delivers post cards to Gov. Schwarzenegger from constituents opposed to a peripheral canal. SacBee Photo
Assemblywoman Alyson Huber says she will reintroduce a bill that would require a legislative vote before a controversial peripheral canal can be built around the Delta. Her statement was made at the last AD-10 Task Force meeting, and more recently to the Stockton Record Editorial Board.
When the legislature recently passed a package of bills on water, Alyson's bill to require legislative approval on any proposal to create a peripheral canal didn't even get a hearing. Instead, the deal created a seven member council to decide for us how our water should be used.
A majority, four, of the council members are to be appointed by the Governor. The current Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger of Southern California, is a strong supporter of a peripheral canal. He even went so far as to proclaim victory for a canal at a press event called for an entirely different reason to the obvious surprise and dismay of local elected officials in attendance. Surprise!
Alyson, along with other Delta lawmakers including Joan Buchanan and Lois Wolk, opposed the package of bills pushed through by legislative leadership. One of the chief reasons being exclusion of Delta area lawmakers from the committee making decisions on what would be in the package of bills.
