Mis-Representatives in Los Banos?

From the Families Protecting the Valley newsletter, Volume 1 Issue14, September 14, 2009:

Farmer sets the record straight
One of Families Protecting the Valley's (FPV) goals is to increase the awareness of valley folks and encourage their participation in the water situation. On occasion, we will send out efforts made by valley folks. Below is one such example.

This letter was written by a grower from the Los Banos area who obviously understands the facts on the water issues facing both sides of the valley. As with all letters we print from others, FPV does not take a political position but does recognize letters that contain educational qualities that we feel benefit our readers.


Letter to the editor
Mayor was manipulated
published September 4, 2009 in the Los Banos Enterprise

I feel that Mayor Jones was manipulated by Congressmen Cardoza and Costa. I am not sure why the mayor allowed our Valley congressional delegation to use him. Now is the time to stop political posturing and to aggressively and effectively fashion a desperately needed situation to this "man-made" drought.

I would suggest that the mayor check his facts before giving adulation and blind support. The United States Bureau of Reclamation did indeed re-scheduling over 250,000 acre feet of federal water from 2008 to 2009.

Those of us that have been involved in Westside farming over the years know that about 150,000 acre feet of such rescheduling is routinely requested and granted by the United States Bureau of Reclamation on an annual basis.

What was different this year was the fact that San Luis Reservoir was only at about 30 percent (300,000 acre feet federal) of storage capacity going in to 2009. Granting the re-schedule request for over 250,000 acre feet meant that there would be virtually no water available in San Luis Reservoir to meet senior water rights holders' (such as Central California Irrigation District) irrigation demands.

At the time, most modeling projected that USBR would probably have to take water from Friant Dam to meet those demands, reducing water made available to Friant Water User Authority Districts on the east side. My thanks goes to the Friant Water Users Authority for asking the USBR to honor the re-scheduling requests, supporting west side districts facing a 0 percent supply this year, even at the risk of their own contract supply.

Addressing water transfers by state and federal agencies this year. The Drought Water Bank was planning to transfer up to 600,000 acre feet from the Sacramento Valley to south of delta this year, with about half of that destined to local desperate Westside districts. Only around 90,000 acre feet total will actually be made available, with only about 30,000 acre feet going to local Westside districts.

Even though these small amounts of water are greatly appreciated, meeting 15 percent of a very achievable goal is hardly a success.

What we need to survive is 100 percent support for real solutions. Congressmen Cardoza and Costa need to join with Congressman Devin Nunes in solving the man-made drought.

Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa have voted with the Democratic leadership of Pelosi and Miller. Their votes have kept the "Pumps" off! Their votes have enabled the removal of water, jobs, and farming on over 1.5 million acres of our valley!

Mayor Jones why are you enabling Cardoza and Costa to vote against our Valley families and farmers?

John Fawcett
Los Baños

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See My post from earlier today ... I'm trying to cut down on "wasted rants," for my blood pressure's sake.

Thanks to C. Brooks Nielsen, Roving Correspondent, for forwarding the FPV newsletter regularly.