Proposition 1 would allocate up to $3.6 billion of taxpayer money to secure more water for corporate agriculture interests.
Beverly Hills, CA — On Thursday, October 2, Food & Water Watch, the Southern California Watershed Alliance, and dozens of Los Angeles residents will hold a press conference and rally in opposition to Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion water bond on the November ballot.
The event, featuring a “mock reception,” will be held outside the Beverly Hills mansion of Stewart Resnick, a corporate agribusiness tycoon who owns Paramount Farms and controls vast amounts of California’s water. The rally will highlight that Proposition 1 unfairly allocates up to $3.6 billion for new dams and water transfers for corporate agribusinesses such as Resnick’s Paramount Farms and should be rejected by voters.
WHAT: Press Conference & Rally for No On Proposition 1: L.A. Campaign Launch
WHEN: Thursday, October 2 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Home of Stewart Resnick — 9481 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 in the grassy median in Sunset Boulevard.
WHO: Food & Water Watch, the Southern California Watershed Alliance, and Los Angeles taxpayers, actors and impersonators
VISUALS:
• Hollywood improv actors will impersonate Stewart & Lynda Resnick and their personal butlers at mock home reception.
• Actors and taxpayers on Sunset Blvd. will be dressed up in cocktail attire at tables with white tablecloths.
• Attendees will hold signs and huge banners in opposition to Proposition 1.
BACKGROUND:
California voters will soon decide the fate of Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion bond measure that with interest would cost California taxpayers $14.4 billion. That would take $360 million per year for 40 years out of our State’s general fund—money that could be used for other needs like education and healthcare.
Over one-third of Prop 1—$2.7 billion—is prioritized for spending without oversight by the legislature to build dams for corporate agribusiness. In addition, an additional $500 to $900 million could be used to purchase water transfers for these interests, many of which are growing and exporting water-intensive crops to China. Stewart Resnick’s Paramount Farms is one of the largest and most politically influential growers that has consistently demanded more water at the expense of the public and the environment.
Proposition 1 won’t solve our drought problems and fails to address the root causes of California’s water crisis. California needs to invest billions of dollars in fixing our cities’ crumbling and leaking water and sewer systems, expanding water recycling and cleaning up groundwater, and prioritizing water for disadvantaged communities. Prop 1 provides woefully inadequate funds for these activities and would force taxpayers to pay for dams that won’t create any new water for most Californians.
CONTACT:
Brenna Norton, bnorton@fwwatch.org, 310-266-4481
Sandra Lupien, slupien@fwwatch.org, 510-681-3171