News: Western water woes

Monday, December 19, 2022

Western water woes

Dec 19, 2022

By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White and Owen Tucker-Smith

THE BUZZ: Even in the wake of massive rain and snow storms, California and other Western states are gearing up for another year of record droughts and a rapidly dwindling water supply.

At the heart of it all is the Colorado River — a 1,450-mile body of water that winds through the west and is a vital resource for nearly 40 million people, including much of Southern California. Output from the river has been steadily decreasing amid a 20-year drought, and shortages have reached a critical point as water levels at the two main reservoirs drop to perilously low depths.

Federal and state officials have been scrambling this year to work out ways to conserve water across the West and keep the river flowing out of Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams. While some progress has been made, the threat of dropping to "dead pool" levels — where no water flows from the dam at all — is still very real.

Conversations about the future of the river struck a somber chord last week as officials and experts gathered in Las Vegas for an annual conference. The federal Bureau of Reclamation is pressuring the seven states who rely on the river to work out where the brunt of the water cuts will fall — a task that is taking longer than federal authorities wanted. Without decisive action quickly, feds warned, levels could fall so low that the system might stop functioning.

As Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton put it in the LA Times. "The basin is seeing its worst drought in 1,200 years, and there is no relief in sight. And perhaps this is what it will be in the future."

Colorado River.

A view of the Colorado River as it flows around Horseshoe Bend in June 2021 in Page, Ariz. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California is the largest water user in the basin and has been under pressure to drastically cut back its use. But water officials in the Imperial Irrigation District, where the river is the sole source of water for 500,000 acres of farmland, won't do so without compensation. The Department of Interior earlier this month agreed to shell out $250 million to restore the shrinking Salton Sea in exchange for conserving water.

After blowing past an August deadline, California and fellow basin states have until the end of January to work out a deal. Otherwise, the feds will do it for them — something states want to avoid.

Meanwhile, drought conditions in California persist. Last week the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California declared a drought emergency for Southern California, which could give way to mandatory water restrictions early next year.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Chag sameach to all the Playbook readers celebrating Hanukkah this week.

Like the rest of California, we were saddened to hear about the passing of beloved Los Angeles mountain lion P-22 over the weekend. Gov. Gavin Newsom , whose father was a founder of the Mountain Lion Foundation, praised the puma for inspiring "a new era of conserving and reconnecting nature." If you have a moment, read the eulogy from Beth Pratt, executive director of the California Regional Center of the National Wildlife Federation, who often called herself P-22's agent.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "This is not ticketing people or incarcerating people. This is moving people from tents to hotels or motels." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on "Meet the Press" over the weekend. Bass on Tuesday will launch her "Inside Safe" program aimed at moving the city's 40,000 unhoused residents indoors.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Today's Tweet of the Day | Twitter

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023.

Top Talkers

DEALMAKERS & DEALBREAKERS — "Dissension brews among striking UC union members over tentative agreement," by the Los Angeles Times' Teresa Watanabe: "A day after the University of California and union leaders representing 36,000 academic workers heralded a breakthrough agreement that could end a five-week strike, dueling narratives over the tentative pact emerged among graduate student supporters and opponents."

A LION'S LEGACY— "Mourning 'L.A.'s coolest cat' and celebrating how P-22 changed our relationship with nature," by the Los Angeles Times' James Rainey: "For a decade, he was perhaps L.A.'s wildest and most elusive resident. So when word spread Saturday that the mountain lion P-22 was gone, his city swelled with sadness and admiration."

— "What Comes Next for the Most Empty Downtown in America," by the New York Times' Conor Dougherty and Emma Goldberg: "Today San Francisco has what is perhaps the most deserted major downtown in America. On any given week, office buildings are at about 40 percent of their prepandemic occupancy, while the vacancy rate has jumped to 24 percent from 5 percent since 2019. Occupancy of the city's offices is roughly 7 percentage points below that of those in the average major American city, according to Kastle, the building security firm."

CAMPAIGN MODE

BOARDS ON THE BALLOT — "Conservative group files suit over Oakland measure allowing noncitizen voting in school board races," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "Opponents of a measure approved by Oakland voters to allow noncitizen parents to vote in school board elections filed suit Thursday, claiming it violates voting restrictions in the California Constitution, an argument endorsed earlier this year by a judge considering a similar measure in San Francisco."

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

OIL'S SHAKY FUTURE — Oil industry faces end of the road in California regardless of Newsom penalty on profits, by POLITICO's Wes Venteicher: Oil companies in California are planning an all-out fight against Gov. Gavin Newsom over his proposal to punish them for what he calls "unconscionable" profits. But that may be the least of the industry's worries.

— "California's Reparations Task Force looks beyond slavery, turns to state discrimination," by the Sacramento Bee's Marcus D. Smith: "Looking beyond the abuses of enslavement, California's Reparations Task Force at an Oakland meeting this week dug into racist state policies of the 20th Century as it worked to quantify harms committed against Black communities."

MINUTE-BY-MINUTE — "California's heat wave was a life-or-death situation. Then the state used a 'tool of absolute last resort,'" by the San Francisco Chronicle's Claire Hao: "In the seat next to [Brian] Ferguson, Cal OES director Mark Ghilarducci called Gov. Gavin Newsom and another top energy official for one last discussion. The idea was to use the state's emergency text alert as it had never been used before: blasting out a call for energy conservation to 27 million phones."

— "A San Diego migrant shelter has become integral at the border. Other cities take notice," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kate Morrissey: "No one around for that chaotic beginning knew they would still be doing this work four years later. But now the San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter, run by Jewish Family Service, has become a major institution at the San Diego border that helps asylum seekers who have been released into the United States reach their family and friends around the country."

BILLING SAFETY — "After tuition, books, and room and board, colleges' rising health fees hit a nerve," by Kaiser Health News' Phil Galewitz: "For parents, these big payments might come as a surprise, making a barely affordable education feel even less so. After all, students can economize by choosing a skimpy meal plan and cooking their own dinners or buying used textbooks, but there is no way around the mandatory health fees."

CITY HALL BRAWL — "Stop attacking activists — political change at City Hall wouldn't exist without them," Opines Frank Shyong for the Los Angeles Times: "Former Councilmember Gil Cedillo, whose racist comments caught on tape spurred calls for his resignation, accused his critics of 'warped zealotry.' Later in his non-resignation letter he called himself a victim of cancel culture and likened himself to the singer Lizzo, a comparison that elides the different responsibilities that pop stars and elected officials shoulder."

— "Even if Kevin de León won't resign, activists have a plan. 'We're never letting this go,'" Opines Erika D. Smith for the Los Angeles Times: "On a recent afternoon, a small group of activists showed up outside Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León's field office in El Sereno. They chanted. They jeered. They milled about on the sidewalk for a while. They hoisted signs labeling him a racist and demanding that he resign — like right now. And then they left."

CONTRACT COUNTING — "California firefighters get shorter workweeks — but not for 2 years," by CalMatters' Julie Cart: "A new contract for California's state firefighters includes immediate pay raises, but delays for two years the shorter workweeks they wanted to relieve job-related stress. Cal Fire firefighters say overwork and distress from a continuous barrage of wildfires have left them with increasing mental health problems, including post traumatic stress disorder."

— "Why California is among last states not screening children for dyslexia," by EdSource's Carolyn Jones: "California's efforts to help children with dyslexia come amid a national push to change how reading is being taught to all children, especially to the youngest learners. The efforts have repeatedly stalled over the past few years because of deep disagreements over the best way to teach reading."

A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We're kicking off with a series exploring darknet marketplaces, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY.

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

ONE GROUP FIZZLES… — Wine tasting in Napa and a staff revolt: How a progressive powerhouse went kaput, by POLITICO's Daniel Lippman: In a progressive ecosystem where groups have become more narrowly focused on issue advocacy or specific electoral tasks — such as candidate recruitment or voter protection — DFA has struggled.

… AND ANOTHER RISES — "As Biden mulls his future, a progressive group is urging 'Don't Run Joe,'" by the San Francisco Chronicle's Joe Garofoli: "President Biden will take time over the holidays to decide whether to run for re-election. Meanwhile, there is already a campaign — with roots in California — that hopes he doesn't. Its name isn't exactly subtle: 'Don't Run Joe.'"

— 'THE central issue': How the fall of Roe v. Wade shook the 2022 election, by POLITICO's Elena Schneider and Holly Otterbein: On May 4, less than 48 hours after a draft opinion was published showing the Supreme Court was poised to end the federal right to abortion, a group of eight strangers gathered around a conference table in the Detroit suburbs to talk about the news.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

SF STRAINS — "Tech's Bust Delivers Bruising Blow to Hollowed-Out San Francisco," by Bloomberg's Romy Varghese and Priya Anand: "As mounting signs point to a global recession in 2023, perhaps nowhere in the US stands to struggle more than San Francisco, the center of the technology boom that's now fast unraveling."

TWITTERLAND — The 'Twitter Files' Congressman on Elon Musk and Taming Silicon Valley, by POLITICO's Nancy Scola: Silicon Valley is a place, and a concept, Khanna's championed far more than strictly required by his job representing California's 17th District, which also houses Apple, Intel, eBay, Yahoo and LinkedIn.

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Who's protecting social media's child stars? Inside the explosive lawsuit against one YouTuber's empire," by the Los Angeles Times' Amy Kaufman and Jessica Gelt: "The lawsuit offers an unsettling glimpse into a largely unregulated world of social media, where children spend long hours cranking out videos and branded content. Kids can make millions of dollars and become online celebrities, but because the content is made in the privacy of their own homes, child labor laws — which do apply to social media influencers — are not consistently enforced."

MIXTAPE

ON THE ROAD — "Zero-Emission Vehicle Sales Standards: California And China's Secret Weapon On Transportation Electrification," by Forbes' Chris Busch.

— "Can politics kill you? Research says the answer increasingly is yes," by the Washington Post's Akilah Johnson.

— "'Everything is full': L.A. shelters turn away animals, residents complain," by the Los Angeles Times' Melissa Gomez and Dakota Smith.

NOT FEELING GOLDEN — "'California needs to do a better job': San Bernardino County will study seceding after voters' OK," by the Los Angeles Times' Nathan Solis.

— "California Approved A Very Bold Plan To Cut Planet-Heating Pollution," by LAist's Erin Stone.

Transitions

— Chris Thompson will be taking over as Chief of Staff for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, leaving his position as vice president for government relations with LA28.

BIRTHDAYS

(was Sunday): Matthew Ceja of Rep. Mark Takano's (D-Calif.) office … Apple's Fred Sainz ... Ryan McCrimmon … Steven Spielberg ... Leonard Maltin ... Alvin Eliot Roth … Jesse Suskin … Nate Willard … (Monday): Tal Kopan … Puck's Teddy Schleifer … Sean Gallitz … Callie Schweitzer … Jake Gyllenhaal

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.

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