At a final vote on Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed Delta Tunnels in Los Angeles tomorrow, Tuesday, April 10, ratepayers, taxpayer advocates, faith leaders, unions and environmentalists will call on Metropolitan Water District (MWD) officials to oppose increased funding for the multi-billion-dollar project.
They say the funding will raise water bills and property taxes without delivering any water or economic benefits to Southern California residents.
They will also demand that Mayor Garcetti, who opposed the $4.5 billion commitment in October 2017, take a stand against any phased or one-tunnel plan, which would still increase costs by at least $1 billion, and refuse to allow MWD to force the costs on L.A. residents.
“MWD will vote on whether to increase funding by at least $1 billion to $5.2 billion for a phased tunnel plan, or to underwrite $10.8 billion to advance the twin tunnels,” said Brenna Norton of Food & Water Watch. “Either proposal allows MWD to further increase costs down the road, if other state contractors decide not to pay their share. MWD will also vote on whether to raise property taxes on Southern California residents in a second item on April 10 agenda.”
Tunnels opponents will hold a press conference at the MWD Board Workshop on Tuesday, April 10, 11:00 am, in the building courtyard, Metropolitan Water District Headquarters, 700 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Public comment will begin at 12:00 noon.
The press conference will feature Los Angeles ratepayers, Food & Water Watch, Consumer Watchdog, Los Angeles Minsters Forum, SEIU Local 721, Restore the Delta, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Los Angeles Waterkeeper, Sierra Club and Los Angeles neighborhood council presidents.
Online Access to Hearing:
http://www.mwdh2o.com/WhoWeAre/Board/Board-Meeting/Pages/default.aspx
Last week MWD appeared set to vote on a one-tunnel proposal. At the eleventh hour on Friday afternoon, proponents of a two-tunnel plan put that proposal back on the table and MWD officials will vote on both options.
“Whether one tunnel, or two, Southern California residents would not receive any new water from the project, and it would not increase water reliability, but would largely subsidize corporate agriculture interests in the Central Valley,” said Norton. “Central Valley farmers would not lose their water supply under the single tunnel proposal, even if they do not pay for the project. Despite troubling findings from a federal audit, a state audit, and a recent PRA request on Restore the Delta, MWD is still advancing the vote on April 10.”
According to a news release from Restore the Delta, instead of voting on funding for the first tunnel of a staged project approach as planned, the MWD board will pick one of two options to move forward with the CA WaterFix:
- Approve funding for the first 6,000 cfs tunnel of a phased-in project (that would add an additional 3,000 cfs tunnel much later).
- Approve upfront costs of the original twin tunnels project (two identical 4,500 cfs tunnels built at the same time).
Specifically, MWD would contribute $5.2 billion (47.1 percent) of the $11 billion phased tunnels, or contribute $10.8 billion (64.6 percent) of the $17 billion twin tunnels.
Restore the Delta’s executive director, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla commented, “If MWD’s ever-changing planning processes offer a look into what adaptive management could be like during tunnel(s) construction and operations, California’s water management system is in deep trouble for the next century.
“If the MWD board manages to come to an agreement instead of a split vote, it is still unclear as to who will finance the remaining 53 percent of the phased-tunnels, or the remaining 35.4 percent of the twin tunnels. This means that if other State Water Project contractors do not commit any funding for the phased tunnels, or if Central Valley Project contractors cannot negotiate a more affordable buy-in to the twin tunnels, MWD must recruit private investors via a public-private partnership to finance the project—a clear attempt to undo protections of California water as a public trust resource.
“Equally disingenuous is MWD's reference to improved water quality on its project charts that show decreased dissolved solids and bromides in their Delta water deliveries as they forgot to inform their Board that the tradeoff is worsened water quality for the 4 million residents of the San Francisco Bay-Delta, California's fisheries, and Delta wildlife. MWD's resolution and supporting documents make it clear that the project does not benefit all Californians as they claim. It may benefit a portion of moneyed MWD water users—the top one percent of Southern California corporations and potentially private financial interests and/or corporate agriculture in the Central Valley—but not without shouldering Southern California's middle-class ratepayers and environmental justice communities with tax increases and cost overruns. MWD's interests are the interests of California's financial elite, with California's middle and working classes paying the price."
Action Alert: If you can't make it to the MWD board vote tomorrow, don't fret! There are two major ways you can voice your opposition to the tunnels today. Here's how:
- Submit a written comment to the MWD Office of the Board of Directors via email voicing your opposition to both a single tunnel (or phased tunnels) project AND the twin tunnels project--we have just received conformation that the board will be asked to approve one of these two options on Tuesday. Be sure to CC the MWD Executive Office and you MUST request that your comment be read into the record of the April 10, 2018 Board of Directors Meeting at 12pm.
- Call the Office of Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti. Please thank him for publicly taking a stand against the twin tunnels and ask him to take action to stop the $11 billion phased tunnels—a 6,000 cfs single tunnel project until funding for a second tunnel is secured at a later, undetermined date. The Office of Mayor Garcetti staffers will tally the calls they receive and report that number to decision makers. If Mayor Garcetti takes a stand against a single tunnel, his influence could stop the project. Here’s how to contact his office:
- Call 888-793-4597
- Tell Mayor Garcetti's office:
"Mayor Garcetti is a deciding voice on the disastrous tunnel proposal, and I am calling to urge him to do everything in his power to stop the latest version of this corporate water heist. As a resident of California, I know that Mayor Garcetti has ambitions to run for higher office, and this is his opportunity to show that he's willing to fight for California against the greed of corporate interests.
“If residents are forced to pay billions for this project, our cities won't be able to make local investments capable of producing new and reliable water sources for future generations of Californians.”
Those who cannot attend but wish to watch the press conference organized by Food and Water Watch California, Sierra Club California, S.E.E., and Southern CA Watershed Alliance can watch live at 11AM on the Food and Water Watch Facebook page.
Those wishing to watch the MWD board vote online are encouraged to tune in to MWD’s livestream at 12PM.
If you have friends, family, or colleagues that will be in Los Angeles TOMORROW who would be interested in attending the press conference and/or MWD board vote, please direct them to their action alert.
Background:
The Delta Tunnels, formally named the CA WaterFix, is Governor Brown’s controversial water conveyance system proposal that would divert Sacramento River water through either one or two 35 mile-long tunnels under the Delta to deliver water to South of Delta contractors. The phased approach would build one 6,000 cfs capacity tunnel first, and build the second 3,000 cfs tunnel at a later date; the twin tunnels plan consists of two identical 4,500 cfs tunnels built at the same time.