Assemblymember Fuller Tours West Kern Water District

John LaConte, Taft Independent Editor October 11, 2007

32nd District Assembly Member Jean Fuller toured the facilities at the West Kern Water District Wednesday. The trip was part of Fuller’s continued work toward finding a solution to what some are calling a water crisis in California, one of the foremost issues facing the legislature at this time. Assemblymember Fuller was recently appointed to the Assembly Republican Special Session Working Group on Water.

Fuller said the possibility of reaching compromise in the legislature regarding water looked bleak as of Wednesday, with the $9.1 billion Republican supported bond getting rejected by Senate Democrats in the Senate Natural Recourses Committee on Monday, and the $6.8 million dollar Democrat-supported bond failing to receive even one of the four Senate Republican votes needed to pass the Senate Tuesday.

According to Fuller “There’s still some discussion happening behind the scenes but the hope for a compromise is fading quickly.”

Fuller said the $9.1 billion dollar bond backed by the Governor and her is a bit higher than she would have liked to throw her support behind. “Our biggest need would be conveyance,” said Fuller, referring to the South San Joaquin Valley’s need for water to be able to be moved around the Sacramento-san Joaquin river delta into the aqueduct for transport south. “And that means making sure that we have proper levees, saltwater intrusion prevention, storage in the areas that need it, and the water rights protected at the point of origin … personally I would have liked [the bond] to be lower but we couldn’t go lower and still get all the needs met.”

Fuller said her trip out to the West Kern Water District in Taft was part of her continued effort to see how the water districts in the 32nd district will be affected if efforts at a bond compromise fail.

According to West Kern Water District Manager Jerry Pearson "If we continue to receive distributions of water from the state water project like we are now, we won't even get close to the amount of water that we have to deliver to the district each year. We'll end up using all of our reserves and be left with very little water at all."

Fuller says the state will be left with two options if no bond compromise is reached. Option one would be for the legislature to reconvene in a special session in an effort to reach a bond agreement in time for the November of '08 election. But according to Fuller a November '08 bond doesn't seem likely because "None of the major players will have changed."

Option two would be an initiative version of one of the bonds, in which a private group would present a plan to the Attorney General's office and gather signatures to see it placed on the ballot. Senate President Don Perata, D-Oakland, already said he intends to submit the Democrat version of the bond to get a title and summary this week. Fuller says while that route is more expensive it might be the only way to solve the issue. "They would have to try and write it in a way that doesn't have a heavily funded opposition," said Fuller.

Assemblymember Fuller said she will continue to meet with major water providers in the state and Kern County until a solution is reached.