Creating Jobs by Overcoming Man-Made Drought

Flutterby

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"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Restore the Delta
Contact: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla

10100 Trinity Pkwy,
Suite 120
Phone: 209-479-2053
Stockton, CA 95219
Email: Barbara 'at' Restorethedelta.org
On Location in Fresno: Brett Baker 916-719-6586

RESTORE THE DELTA REMINDS CENTRAL VALLEY CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION THAT DELTA FAMILY FARMS AND FISHERIES ARE AT THE HEART OF CALIFORNIA'S ECONOMY!

Stockton, California -- Restore the Delta, a local broad-based coalition including Delta farmers, environmentalists, fishermen, business leaders, and concerned citizens, reminds

Central Valley Congressional Leaders that they have left Delta family farmers, who make up a $3.6 billion economy for California, out of the discussion regarding water management practices in California.

At today's field hearing in Fresno, entitled "Creating Jobs by Overcoming Man-Made Drought: Time for Congress to Listen and Act, Committee Chair Rep. McClintock of the House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Water and Power will attempt to the make the case that a man-made drought is the reason behind record unemployment in the Central Valley.

Restore the Delta advocate, Brett Baker, a sixth generation pear farmer from Courtland, will remind Committee Chair Representative McClintock that Delta farmers are "California's oldest farming families and to take water from our family farmers, who feed Californians, so that West side growers can export crops to China, is deeply misguided ."

Baker adds, "To say that moving water from the Delta to Westside growers will help to make more jobs for Californians is wrong. Job losses in the Central Valley have been attributed to the burst in the housing market. Even if West side growers were to receive 120% of their water allocation, it will not make more construction jobs in the Central Valley. But by West side growers taking all the water they want from the Delta, commercial fishing families will continue to experience extreme hardship as fish numbers plummet, and Delta farmers will be impacted negatively by insufficient water flows."

Restore the Delta maintains that Federal and State political leaders are fixated on yesterday's water plan as a way to solve today's water needs. Executive Director Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla points out "In wet years, there is surplus water that can be put back and stored underground for future use by Central Valley growers." Depriving the Delta of the water it needs is not the answer. Barrigan-Parrilla adds, "We cannot solve the Central Valley's economic woes by destroying Delta communities, Delta agriculture, and Delta fisheries. The Delta is a gem, and sufficient water will bring it back to abundance."

Brett Baker and Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla are available for interviews."
 
Good for Restore the Delta. I can't believe they are still trying to sell that nonsense. I wonder if they will try to use the unemployment numbers (70,000 jobs lost due to pumping restrictions!) that have been throughly discredited in the past. As Restore the Delta points out, the big increase in unemployment in the valley is the result of the end of the housing boom. People who had been construction labor suddenly became unemployed farm labor once the housing jobs dried up. During the housing boom, farmers were complaining of a shortage of farm labor.

I hope they continue to gain the attention of media outlets, which has been happening over the last couple of years.
 
I agree with you etyppo! I even sent an email to McClintock encouraging him to continue with "Creating Jobs by Overcoming Man-Made Drought: Time for Congress to Listen and Act" as well as forwarding the press release to my Rep, Dan Lungren and my local supervisor who has been opposed to saving the Mokelumne in Amador Co.
 
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