The Daily Journal article about the San Mateo County budget being approved caught my eye as it painted a picture of responsible fiscal management and planning for the inevitable downturn in the economy. County manager-soon-to-be-retired John Maltbie noted
He acknowledged the county’s success in making summer reading programs available through the county’s library system as well as the some $100 million spent in the last five years or so on affordable housing projects to create an estimated 1,770 units in the near future as signs of progress.
That caused me to look a little deeper into the budget where one finds
On May 16, 2017, the Board approved a Measure K allocation for affordable housing of $40.5 million over two years with the possibility of increasing that amount by $3.25 million if Peninsula Clean Energy repays its loan to the County early. All together, affordable housing will receive about 25 percent of Measure K appropriations over the next two years. Unlike in other counties, these funds come from existing resources, resulting in the reduction of Measure K contributions for other program and projects.
It is anticipated that these funds will support the construction of roughly 1,400 new housing units, which is a tiny fraction of the need for over 25,000 additional affordable housing units in the County. Not enough to change the trajectory of the increase in rents or housing costs. (Additions to the Housing Department budget will be submitted as a June Revision.)
We know that the 1,770 incremental units are just the County's additions. Cities are spending more money and private developers are building as fast as they can. So the natural question is "Where will the additional water come from?". One can search the 900 pages of the budget for any indication that some sliver of $2.8 billion dollars might be spent on additional supply--but that search would be in vain. I know because I did it. The 143 appearances of the word "water" mention conservation at County facilities, stormwater treatment, supply for boaters at the marinas, water quality, a new tank in Pescadero, and a toilet rebate program for Pescadero, BUT not a word about any sort of new water supply. Get ready for draconian water restrictions friends.
There is an absolutely gorgeous sunset tonight in B'game. Unfortunately the cause is the Yolo and Lake County fires. B'game woke up to a light coat of white ash on our cars, barbecues and everything else left outside. We also woke up to the SF Comicle article titled: Drought back on the map for Northern California. No kidding. Only the clueless would think drought ever was off the map. But here are some of the Chron's comments:
The Drought Monitor’s weekly map, released Thursday, shows a large swath extending north of San Francisco through the Sacramento Valley to the Oregon border in moderate drought. The Bay Area and the North Coast went from normal to abnormally dry; parts of the northern Sierra remain normal. It’s a dramatic change from just last week when the figure didn’t depict any drought conditions in Northern California.
Rocket Scientist of the Week goes to "“The main reason drought is back on the map is the precipitation deficits over the past six months,” says Richard Heim, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information. “They’ve been built up so long that they couldn’t be ignored.”
Saturday marks the end of the rain season running July 1 to June 30. The Bay Area was about 72 percent to 74 percent of normal.
“As of the end of May, reservoir storage statewide is 106 percent of average,” said Mike Anderson, the state climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources. “The San Francisco Bay Area is close to average, while the Central Coast is lagging a bit.”
Anderson points out the focus of the Drought Monitor map is for natural landscapes that respond to annual rainfall and associated runoff, and it’s mainly a resource for agriculture. (I LOVE that part--"it's mainly for agriculture". Only in the Bay Area leftist news is growing food a tertiary concern.)
“In California we’re not officially in drought status until the governor declares a drought,” adds Chris Orrock, a spokesman with the Department of Water Resources. “We’re looking OK right now.” (The question is why Moonbeam declared the drought "over" in the first place?)
Full article here: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Drought-back-on-the-map-for-Northern-California-13039190.php
Posted by: Joe | July 01, 2018 at 07:51 PM
On the crowded Fall ballot there is one water Proposition seeking more money. It might be the only one worth voting for. Per the Comicle it is:
Proposition 3: California would issue $9 billion in bonds to improve water quality and storage and to repair dams in preparation for droughts.
Who’s behind it: A coalition of farmers, environmental groups and business leaders. The bond measure is headed by Jerry Meral, a former deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources and a longtime water-project advocate.
Who’s against it: The Sierra Club says the bond will allow for more dams to be built, something the environmental group generally opposes.
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One really has to wonder who is calling the shots at the Sierra Club and why they are so clueless???
Posted by: Joe | July 05, 2018 at 04:46 PM
From today's DJ:
In approving nearly $20 million in Measure K funds to support 12 affordable housing developments Tuesday, county officials provided a boost for a slate of housing projects aimed at providing housing for veterans, former foster youth and residents who unable to afford market-rate rent or home prices during a regional housing crisis.
Ranging from a development to include 19 affordable units in a 125-unit apartment building at 353 Main St. in Redwood City to a plan to build 164 affordable units on two redevelopment sites in downtown San Mateo, the collection of projects officials opted to fund is expected to increase the county’s affordable housing stock by 635 units, according to a staff report.
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/county-oks-million-for-housing/article_f999a214-c6b9-11e8-a3fd-5f83dede0b68.html
There is no word on where the water will come for these build-outs (on top of all the others).
Posted by: Joe | October 03, 2018 at 12:05 PM