Perhaps I am just contrary by nature, but something in the proposed MID water sale debate just strikes me as way off. Monetizing water in an area where supplies are limited is a recipe for disaster. Traditionally, the cost to capture, store, treat and distribute water was the base by which a price was set for water.

In lean years these costs may rise because it simply cost more to go outside a district to purchase surplus water based on the donors overhead. I would say most people got it, they understood that water was NOT like any other commodity, there are NO substitutes or alternatives to water. Either you have it or you die, period.  

Prop 218 is an example of limiting the cost of water to actual costs and preventing local governments from overcharging to bolstering their balance sheet.  Put another way, this law limits a governments’ ability to extort money for a necessity.

Move to today. The debate over a proposed sale of MID water seems to have parties on both sides arguing over price. In my opinion this is nothing but folly and blinding otherwise well intentioned people to the debacle that awaits them in the future.

Powers within this state know full well what monetizing water will do, it will bring them wealth and power.  These “powers” maybe individuals or governments but the intent is clear. Local utilities and municipalities see only dollar signs and a way out of the financial abyss they have created without ever having to account for their failures. 

 MID PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

Allan Short 5-10-12

General Manager

Modesto Irrigation District

1231 11th Street

Modesto, CA 95354

Subject: Public Records Act Request - COPY

California Public Records Act

GOVT. CODE §§ 6250 - 6276.48

Dear Mr. Short:

The California Legislature has declared that access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state.

The California Public Records Act (PRA), states that “Public records” include anywriting containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used or retained by DPR regardless of physical form or characteristics. “Writing” means handwriting, typewriting, printing, photostating, photocopying, photographing, transmitting by electronic mail or facsimile, and every other means of recording upon any tangible thing, any form of communication or representation, including letters, words, pictures, sounds or symbols or any combination thereof, and any record thereby created, regardless of the manner in which the record has been stored.

 The public gets five (5) chances to take 3 minutes to make comment tomorrow.  We want to have EVERY person take 15 minutes tomorrow.

Brown /Act cannot require us to ID self

Time restriction is based upon “reasonableness”

The Dirty Secrets

By Voice of Modesto Staff

Today May 2, 2012, the Bee is allowing the subject of Sheriff Adam Christianson's ongoing budget temper tantrum to be vetted by a series of sympathetic letters. Yet they miss the real problem. It is not that he mouths off like a spoiled brat (when you look into his youthful crimes and disciplinary past that seems self evident.)

No, the real outrage is the silent partnership with those who have waged a dirty little war to take out other people in this county so that the salaries and benefits that those people were receiving became "available" for redistribution.