Jackson – District 10 Assemblywoman Alyson Huber said Wednesday that she opposes a water bill that would build a canal from the San Joaquin Delta to serve Southern California. Huber talked about Water Committee testimony on a “peripheral canal” in water legislation that would take water from the Delta and export it. She also thought it was strange that the most experienced legislator in the issue, Sen. Lois Wolk of District 5, who was excluded from the Water Committee. Huber said California needs more storage, and the state has “8 times more water rights holders than we actually have water.” She said the water bill talks “about exporting water when we don’t have enough to meet needs here.” Huber said a committee in the legislation’s language seems to have “the power to create the peripheral canal.” Conklin asked if there was “any way it isn’t going to happen.” Huber said she is “working on it.” And 1,500 people answered a postcard drive saying they “don’t want to see (water) shipped out of the region.” Huber said the $9.4 billion funding in the bill is “a general bond – a credit card” – but the biggest issue is that it is not emphasizing Southern California’s regional water issues. She said if Southern California did desalination, reclamation and conservation, before it started shipping in water – to develop in the desert – it could have its own rates pay for its own infrastructure improvements, “rather than have the rest of the state pay for a peripheral canal.” Huber said Schwarzenegger is “worried about his legacy and wants to get things done before he is out of office.” Amador Business Council member Ed Swift of ATI Auto Parts asked Huber if the legislation included a “Wild & Scenic” designation for the Mokelumne River. Huber said it did not, and she asked if the council “as a group had taken a position on Wild & Scenic.” Anne Platt, council president and CEO of Sutter Amador Hospital, said the group had not. Ken Deaver, council member and co-owner of Deaver Vineyards, said “let’s be sure it’s really necessary.” Huber said: “Here’s the reality. The entire water bill gets one vote, up or down.” She said her vote is “no,” because of the peripheral canal, the “equivalent of putting a 100-lane freeway through the county with no local representation.” She said the bill was badly written and has contradictions and a lot of “unintended” impacts. And she said they “can undo it at the ballot box, if we need to,” and they could also change the bill to require a vote of approval. Paul Molinelli Jr., vice president of the council, of ACES Waste Service, said “when it’s time, you can count on our help.” Conklin said she could count on the help of “several business councils.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.