ALPERN AT LARGE-To paraphrase from the oft-repeated adage of "we don't have a tax problem, we have a spending problem" there's a new phrase for anyone TRULY into the real world to confront: "we don't have a water problem so much as we have a water usage problem."
Translated and restated: we DO have a drought, but how we deal with our drought, and how we get more water to our population, are much greater problems than any Mother Nature can throw at us.
Sure, there are water wasters, but those who build up straw men to knock down are much better at distracting from our true answers than they are at the tough, tough, TOUGH decisions needed to handle either this or any other emergency:
1) First off, the obnoxious strawman-building MUST be confronted.
With the cost of water going up so much, it's doubtful many of us are truly taking the 20-minute showers that the so-called "environmentally aware" are squawking about (unless it’s their own family members, because how would THEY know?).
I'm sure that there are some who'd demand mandatory timers attached to showers, but when does the civil liberty issue come up? Of course showers shouldn't be overly long, but is anyone about ready to pronounce how to enforce the "right timing" for a 3-5 minute shower?
Idiots that water their lawns at inopportune times, and for inefficient periods of time, can and should be cited, but when do the self-styled water "police" show up to run the lives of those who are actually following the rules?
And can someone please let us know who amongst us aren't willing to pay for higher water costs when it's needed? Let's hold our criticisms for those actually breaking the law, okay?
2) Secondly, why oh WHY are we doing everything we can to encourage more explosive population growth?
Yes, we all know that developers pay a lot of money to politicians and fulfill the housing needs of many folks with big bucks to pay for real estate and homes in the Golden State, but do THEY pay for the water infrastructure their developments are causing?
And does being a Platinum, Gold or whatever LEED really make a difference other than a nice plaque on the wall when it comes to saving/using water appropriately?
Heck, developers aren't paying for their transportation and energy costs, so why should they pay for their water costs? And, of course, I'm referring to the REAL costs involved, not some antiquated and irrelevant number that allows cheating and law-breaking to go on unabated.
So why keep overdeveloping when we know there's no more water?
Furthermore, how much of the costs are we passing on to those moving IN to new homes? Certainly, it makes sense to require all new home purchases adopt more water-., fuel- and energy-efficient changes, but how many of us are playing by the rules and yet still being forced to pay for the choices of others?
And speaking of playing by the rules, will a person ever be able to at least question the wisdom of being a magnet for tens of millions of those arriving here, and staying here, illegally without being called a racist/xenophobe/bigot or whatever else works in getting people to "shut up and take it" (or just leave the state).
3) All of us should be open to change and self-reflection--so when will the environmentalists do their share?
Even the governor, who throws out the "climate change" issue about the drought (ADMIT it, my politically-correct friends, that phrase has much more to do with controlling the actions of others than it really does about improving the environment), acknowledges that the farmers and farm workers need water for their trade as much as for any other water-related priority in our state.
Climate change is real, but our ability to determine how much our state, nation and even global population can do about it is not as defined some wish it to be so...and certainly there are some things that can be done that are more cost-effective than others.
Too many environmentalists have fallen into the trap of Misanthropy and/or Greed.
They've gone beyond loving and preserving the environment, endangered species and treasured natural wonders...and now they're into making a trade out of telling and making others do what they want (even if it's not cost-effective).
People need to live, and eat, and drink, and have jobs that pay well. Making water more accessible and affordable are NOT bad things if one concludes that people are worth having life. Population growth, education, women's rights and civilized behavior...and smart and honest growth/planning laws allows for a quality of life for all socioeconomic groups...including the poor.
So spending money on dams, water reclamation, flood control, and water importation (remember how much of our nation has TOO MUCH water?) aren't acts against nature so much as they are acts to preserve the health and dignity of Humanity.
In short: how do we protect Nature and Humanity from the so-called, self-styled "environmentalists"?
There's no question we will have to spend tens of billions of dollars to restore and upgrade our infrastructure, including and especially our water infrastructure. So rather than yell at those who, by and large, are NOT wasting water, and who WILL have to pay more taxes, let's find a way to bring our state (and our nation) together to preserve the America-serving economic powerhouse that is California.
And particularly for those in the rest of the nation who, if we have another snowy, Arctic winter like the one we just had, will consider or reconsider moving to the Golden State, we will want to have a state that is unified--and not screaming and accusing--with respect to common sense legislation and infrastructure that preserves the rights, dignity and needs of our state's residents.
(Ken Alpern is a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Planning and Outreach Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He is co-chair of the CD11Transportation Advisory Committee and chairs the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at [email protected] He also does regular commentary on the Mark Isler Radio Show on AM 870, and co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. (The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 29
Pub: Apr 7, 2015
