ThiS ModErn World
by tom tomorrow
Restrict pumping, save salmon The governor’s announcement on July 25 regarding his The federal agency charged with keeping the peripheral-canal proposal included some state from killing off our salmon runs introduced interesting supporting documentation released new, more restrictive Delta-pumping rules in by the state to bolster his case. Among those 2009. Of course, agricultural operators, who documents is one showing how deadly the had been getting that water, and their agents in existing Delta pumps are to salmon. the California Department of Water Resources Salmon advocates have been shouting this at sued to get the pumping restrictions thrown out. the top of their lungs for more than a decade, but They’re still in court, trying to convince anyone the state’s official position was that the decline who’ll listen that it’s those darn “ocean condiin salmon populations tions” and other adversities in over roughly the last the Delta, not the pumps, that by The state is admitting drove the salmon runs into the eight years was caused Victor Gonella by “ocean conditions,” ground. that baby salmon are president of the not the Delta pumps. But we’re finally enjoyGolden Gate Salmon siphoned out of their They also blamed ing a halfway decent salmon Association other stressors, such as natural migration season this year, and it’s invasive species and precisely because the 2009 routes by the ammonia discharges in pumping restrictions are tractor-beam suction starting to show results. The state document the Delta. referred to in this Now the state is More salmon means more of huge Delta pumps. Guest Comment is admitting that baby employment for thousands online at http://tinyurl. of workers in salmon-related com/8l9rssg. salmon are siphoned out of their natural migration routes by the tractorindustries: boat and marina operators, seafood beam suction of huge Delta pumps. They’re processors, tackle shops, charter-boat operaadmitting the pumps reverse natural flows and tors—even restaurants and hotels. Have a comment? Why is the DWR still in court? The canal Express your views make rivers run backward. They’re admitting is many years off under any scenario. The in 350 words on that when juvenile salmon are pulled off course a local topic in the Delta, 95 percent of San Joaquin River pumping restrictions in place to keep our of interest. and 60 percent of Sacramento River chinook salmon runs healthy—plus other salmon habiSend an e-mail to salmon do not survive. tat improvements—will be needed for years to editorial@ That’s what every responsible scientist has come, no matter what. Ω newsreview.com. been saying for years.
K.J.’s disclosure The problem with good intentions is that we all know where they can lead. That’s why, despite the good intentions of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s many initiatives and nonprofit organizations, the public is going to need a lot more transparency. As detailed in last week’s feature story, “K.J. Inc.” by Cosmo Garvin, the mayor has a lot of great ideas about important issues—sustainability, the arts, homelessness, education—that he’d like the city to address. To that end, he’s established a number of nonprofit groups to do—well, we’re not really clear on that, although the groups mostly seem to be about facilitating discussion and funding for groups that already exist. And he’s been collecting donations to run those groups from his supporters, including some who have business before the city. Because private nonprofits aren’t required to make the same sort of public disclosures and financial accounting that taxpayer-supported institutions do, we don’t really know all the details. What’s more, the mayor’s office has been less than forthcoming. We understand that Johnson is a big fan of publicprivate partnerships. That’s not a bad thing. But he and his colleagues need to understand that when the public’s money is “partnered” with private investment, the entire operation needs to become more transparent. That is, it needs to operate more like a public enterprise and less like a private one. So, Mayor Johnson, we call on you to keep things out in the open. Release all the records of your private initiatives and nonprofits—who works there, where the money to run them comes from, and what precisely they are doing. It’s the only way to be sure that your administration is above reproach. Ω
read Cosmo Garvin’s reporting on Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s nonprofits and their overlap with city government at www.newsreview.com.
Home sweet mall? When it comes to retail shopping malls, a new mantra should be: “Don’t build it. They won’t come.” This most definitely applies to downtown Sacramento. Malls across America are dying, but the Westfield Downtown Plaza has been 6-feet under for more than a decade. The area’s mall rats want to be in Roseville; let’s not pretend we have the cheese to entice them downtown. So, what should JMA Ventures and Sacramento’s city and business leaders focus on? How about housing, housing and more housing? When it comes to urban living, though, JMA’s portfolio sort of lacks; it mostly consists of skiresort-type residences. But hey, this is a step up over Westfield. Let’s be optimistic. SN&R envisions a Downtown Plaza of retail shopping and office spaces mixed with apartments and affordable housing. We want to see life after hours and on weekends along J, K, and L streets between Third and Seventh. And we urge JMA to free the mall, open it up to the surrounding centralcity milieu and Old Sacramento. JMA recently said it doesn’t have a long-term plan for revitalizing the mall. Let’s hope that whatever it ultimately decides involves moving more Sacramentans in. Ω
B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |
08.23.12 | SN&R | 19