Photo: Caballero for State Senate
Former attorney Anna Caballero’s political career begins with fifteen years on the Salinas City Council, moving to the mayor’s seat for the last eight years. The decades long resident of Salinas was elected to the State Assembly in November 2006. Rather than waiting for term limits to end her tenure in the Assembly, she is hoping to move down the “marble hall” in Sacramento to the State Senate.
“As a Member of the California State Legislature, I am very proud of my record of achievement in fighting for the issues of the 28th Assembly District. But the issues we face remain urgent - water, the economy, jobs, agriculture, healthcare, and public safety,” she said as she announced her bid for the 12th Senate District last month.
The issue that has brought her recent prominence is “California’s severe water crisis.” And, she has been definitive on this issue. Clear and direct speaking to the issues is always risky in politics, and she has not been shy.
September 17th the Interior Department declared, “A third year of severe drought is affecting the lives of all Californian’s.” With one third less water available, claims that it is a “regulatory drought” are countered with; the drought is “caused by below average precipitation and significantly lower run-off” not governmental miss-steps.
By September 30th Caballero was off to Washington D.C. for a critical public hearing on the constant near “crisis” water situation in California. Appointed by Speaker Karen Bass (D AD-47) to the State's contingent, she met with members of Congress, Ken Salazar (Secretary of the Interior), California’s Director of Water Resources, and other elected officials.
Commenting in support of the Federal Water Transfer Facilitation Act of 2009, “I am very glad to see this legislation. We are moving closer to finding a short term solution that can increase the availability of water from the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta to users south of the Delta.” This bill will stream line the federal environmental review process to allow quicker transfers from the relatively “water rich” Sacramento Valley to the south.
“I am glad to see that this legislation is moving forward so that we can provide our farmers with the necessary assistance they need to continue growing their crops and put farmworkers back to work,” said Caballero. “However, more needs to be done. We need to find new alternatives that will give California both short and long term solutions to solve our water problems.”
A longer five-year plan the Assemblyperson supports is the Federal “Two Gates” Project. Expected to balance protection for the Delta Smelt, and other at-risk species, against urban and agricultural needs, it has had a less than enthusiastic reception with more ardent environmentalists. The federal government would install two “gate structures” allowing better controls on water flow. The project is also supported by Governor Schwarzenegger.
Read More: Political opportunity knocks for Assembly District 28 Democrats 10/3/09 Caballero moves the water crisis agenda forward 10/1/09 Anna Caballero heads to Washington to address water crisis 9/29/09
Comments