Posted on 12/09/2006 10:13:48 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Arnold Schwarzenegger's self-styled reputation as a “green” governor is under scrutiny again as he selects leaders for water quality agencies statewide.
The appointees are virtually invisible to most people, but the panels they serve on are battlegrounds for regulations, penalties and permits that affect California's waterways.
Each of the state's nine regional water boards has nine board positions – a total of 81 slots. Nearly a third of the posts are vacant, including three in San Diego County.
The local board's most recent chairman, University of San Diego environmental law professor Jack Minan, said he was mystified when Schwarzenegger recently decided not to reappoint him.
That panel now lacks members representing recreation and wildlife, water quality and the public-at-large as it tackles milestone issues such as a proposed $100 million cleanup plan for San Diego Bay.
Next week, the board is expected to consider controversial stormwater regulations that will affect cities and unincorporated areas countywide.
Across the state, some conservationists are calling this a watershed moment for clean water.
“This is a fair-sized block of appointments that is big enough to really show where the governor is going for his second term,” said Linda Sheehan, executive director of the California Coastkeeper Alliance, which tracks legislative affairs in Sacramento.
While environmentalists praise Schwarzenegger's bold pledge this fall to cut greenhouse gases, they long have criticized his less-publicized moves such as proposals to cut programs for parks and fisheries.
The governor also has drawn fire for his appointments to environmental oversight agencies, including those that police water pollution.
Schwarzenegger's aides say he is an international leader on environmental issues.
“He stands by his appointees because they have a diverse understanding of the complex water issues facing California,” said spokeswoman Sabrina Lockhart.
By law, every regional water board must include a total of four representatives from industry, agriculture and local governments. Each of those groups is regulated by the board.
The fifth seat is for someone with ties to water supply or conservation. The remaining four spots are reserved for a recreation or wildlife expert and those who don't fall into the other categories.
The background of board members can sway each regional agency's emphasis.
For example, Susan Ritschel was chosen in 2004 for the San Diego board. She was then the mayor of San Clemente, which falls inside the agency's territory. However, she also has worked as a manager in the property development industry, according to a biography provided by the governor's office.
In addition, vacancies for seats typically filled by people with an environmental emphasis have fueled concern.
“Nobody wants to say, 'The emperor has no clothes,' but when it comes to environmental appointments, Gov. Schwarzenegger is in his birthday suit,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper.
Reznik and other conservationists said Schwarzenegger has tried to appease them by appointing a few environmental allies to oversight boards, but that these leaders are far outnumbered by those representing other interests.
Bill Allayaud, state legislative director for the Sierra Club in California, said: “There is this disturbing pattern of always seeming to fall back into the trap of, 'We can't make business mad. We can't give environmentalists what they want.' ”
San Diego business leaders said they're reticent to criticize an agency that regulates their activities. However, they reject the notion that industry has gotten a break on water pollution. And some said the local water board lacks the expertise to understand how its rulings increase the cost of living.
The board sets policies to curb pollution, but local governments and businesses typically must pay for necessary upgrades. In the end, residents and customers foot the bill, but also enjoy whatever benefits result from cleanup efforts.
“My experience has been that the board still leans heavily toward the environmental community,” said Jerry Livingston, a lawyer for the Building Industry Association of San Diego County.
“Because (environmentalists) are not getting everything they want,” he said, “they are finding it not to be an environmentally friendly board.”
In the case of Minan, the governor's spokeswoman would not explain why Schwarzenegger declined to give the chairman another four-year term.
Minan served for eight years, including the past six as chairman. He was well-regarded for his legal knowledge and his attempts to sort out complex scientific matters. At the same time, he was criticized for not moving the agency forward quickly to force major cleanups of San Diego Bay and Chollas Creek.
“One of the things that I tried to do during my terms was create a culture of public respect . . . by being always prepared on the matter at hand to listen carefully to the arguments that were being made,” Minan said. “I never approached a question with a closed mind.”
Minan, 63, said his wife urged him not to reapply for his post this fall, but that several regional leaders said he should reconsider.
He eventually asked for reappointment, only to learn in late November that he wouldn't get the post. Members are paid $100 for each monthly board meeting they attend.
“There is no doubt that the loss of the chair, Jack Minan, is a huge loss. He was very knowledgeable and evenhanded,” said Eric Anderson, a North County farmer who was appointed by former Gov. Gray Davis and again by Schwarzenegger to represent agriculture on the local water board.
Anderson, who viewed the Minan-led board as “fairly balanced,” said, “The new appointments will definitely make a difference in how the board leans.”
Environmentalists have offered the governor's office several names for consideration, including longtime Audubon Society activist Jim Peugh, Encinitas Councilwoman Maggie Houlihan and environmental attorney Lorena Gonzalez.
At the Industrial Environmental Association, a group of manufacturing, high-tech and biotech companies in San Diego County, executive director Patti Krebs said she had supported Minan's reappointment and has not submitted other names for the open seats.
She said it's difficult to recruit people for the posts, which demand lots of reading and technical expertise.
The agency is responsible for monitoring sewage spills, fining water polluters and carrying out Clean Water Act mandates.
Major issues before the board include:
Whether to force shipyards, the Navy, the city of San Diego and other parties to clean up toxic sediment in San Diego Bay. The project could cost $100 million.
How to update stormwater regulations that generated a protracted lawsuit from the building industry. The state Supreme Court upheld the rules last year.
How to issue a cleanup order for Chollas Creek despite San Diego's resistance. City officials said related projects could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Not a post about water-boarding quality, I guess.
Nevermind.
Sigh.
How do they vote? They must use a Wigi board or judge the candidate on his physical appearance since gathering solid background information appears to be of little concern.
Thanks for posting this small window into the Austrian's operation.
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