Sacramento – A bill and amendments by Assemblywoman Alyson Huber failed to get support this week in her effort to put limits on a “Peripheral Canal” that would circumnavigate the Delta and take Northern California water to Southern California. Huber said she was “disheartened by the choice made by many” of her colleagues to ignore her “bill to ban a canal without a Legislative vote as part of the water package passed by the Legislature.” Huber said she “opposed the water package because it creates a new layer of bureaucrats who will make decisions on water that will impact the communities I represent, without allowing us to have a voice.” Huber opposed the bond, she said, “especially because of the billions (of dollars) in pork for (Los Angeles),” adding that “this dead of night pork giveaway is exactly why voters give us low marks.” The 10th District Assemblywoman said she “offered up a simple bill – one to require a full analysis of the peripheral canal and require legislative approval – a common sense approach. Unfortunately, my bill was killed without a hearing.” She said she “will be resubmitting this bill so it will have a full debate.” Huber said her bill, AB 13 7x, “would have prohibited the construction of a peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta without a full fiscal analysis and a vote of the state legislature.” She said the water package left “the path clear for the construction of a canal,” without analysis or local decision-makers’ input. She said her bill “was held hostage,” and killed by leadership to keep the package of water proposals from being broken apart. She said the water package was “negotiated behind closed doors, with Southern California water interests.” Huber said she “fought to move it to the floor so it could be debated but, despite the support of many from both sides of the aisle, my bill was held.” She said she “introduced amendments to alter the main water policy bill to include the terms for building a canal but again, they were killed before a vote was even taken.” She said she “will continue to fight for legislative oversight and fiscal analysis for a canal through other avenues.” Huber told members of the Amador County Business Council that if her alternative bill or amendments do not affect the water bill’s creation of a peripheral canal, then “we can undo it at the ballot box if need be.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.