Concern about California's levees has grown steadily over time. It became more urgent this year as the need to repair our system became more evident. Concerns were heightened by unusually stormy weather and the havoc Hurricane Katrina caused in New Orleans. The state Central Valley system includes about 1,600 miles of levees along with other aging flood control infrastructure such as outflow weirs and channels. A majority of the 700 miles of levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region (Delta) are outside the state system. However, because the water supplies for a significant part of the state's population flow through the Delta, there is a state interest in the operation of the Delta levee system.

Concerns increased with the recent publication of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) report, Flood Warnings: Responding to California's Flood Crisis. Published in January 2005, it says a flood catastrophe caused by levee failure or major earthquake could harm tens of thousand of homes and a large part of our transportation system. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working with the DWR, also identified 24 critical levee sites in the San Joaquin River and Sacramento River Flood Control systems in urgent need of repair.

Earlier this year the Legislature passed a law providing $500 million from the General Fund for emergency levee repairs and other flood related costs. Since 1996, voters have authorized a number of general obligation bonds, of which about $400 million has been used for flood management purposes. Most of these bonds are now used up.

California's Central Valley flood control system is largely the state's financial responsibility. However, it does require negotiation in order to receive some help from local and federal agencies, since about 80 percent of levees have been turned over to local districts for operation and maintenance. Costs are huge and vary. DWR has made a rough estimate that the system in the Delta and Central Valley alone will require an expenditure of between $7 billion and $12 billion to repair. Future bond measures will be needed to manage the task.

Proposition 1E is a bond measure that will provide $4.09 billion for infrastructure projects for flood protection and levee repair and improvements. It authorizes the sale of general obligation bonds in order to rebuild and repair California's most vulnerable flood control structures to protect homes and prevent loss of life from flood-related disasters, including levee failures, flash floods and mud slides. It protects California's drinking water supply by rebuilding Delta levees that are vulnerable to earthquakes and storms.

Prop 1E would create a special fund for all the bond proceeds, the Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Fund of 2006. Monies in the fund would be allocated to flood management programs as follows:

• State Central Valley Flood Control System and Delta Levees: $3 billion
  To evaluate, repair, and restore existing levees and to improve or add additional facilities in order to increase flood protection for urban areas in the Central Valley flood control system; to reduce the risk of levee failure in the Delta. Funds may be in the form of grants to local agencies or direct state spending.
• Flood Control Subventions: $500 million
  To provide funds for local governments to pay the state's share of locally and federally authorized flood control projects outside the Central Valley system.
• Stormwater Flood Management: $300 million
  To provide grants to local agencies outside the Central Valley system for stormwater management projects.
• Statewide Flood Protection Corridors and Bypasses: $290 million
  To protect, create and enhance protection corridors, including flood control bypasses and setback levees and flood plain mapping.

The measure requires the compilation of a State Plan of Flood Control. It urges the Governor annually to (1) secure the maximum feasible amounts of federal and local matching funds; (2) prioritize project selection and design in order to achieve maximum public benefits; and (3) submit a budget for specific needed flood control measures, describing in detail the proposed expenditure of bond monies required for that year. While these directives may seem broad without a long-range perspective, they allow the Legislature and Governor the flexibility to make adjustments based on the state's changing flood protection needs. Additional specifications can be provided depending on the projects under way, finances required and flood control problems.

An estimate from the Legislative Analyst Office projects that should bonds be sold with an average interest rate of 5 percent, the total cost over 30 years would be interest cost of $3.9 billion, and principal of $4.1 billion. That is a total of about $8 billion over 30 years with an average payment cost per year of about $266 million. Land acquisitions by the state for flood management purposes would reduce local property tax revenues by several million dollars per year.

SUPPORTERS Signing ballot arguments for	OPPONENTS Signing ballot arguments against:
Henry Renteria, Director California Office of Emergency Services	Thomas N. Hudson, Executive Director The California Taxpayer Protection Committee
Michael L. Warren, President California Fire Chiefs Association
Linda Adams, Secretary California Environmental Protection Agency

The rebuttal to the opponents' argument was signed by Thomas A. Nassif, President, Western Growers; Peter Silva, Former Vice-Chair, State Water Resources Control Board; and Linda Adams.

Polly Smith, LWVC Water and Agriculture Co-Program Director, water@lwvc.org

Roberta Borgonovo, LWVC Water and Agriculture Co-Program Director, water@lwvc.org

Charolette Fox, LWVC Natural Resources Director, natural_resources@lwvc.org

Jack Sullivan, LWVC Legislation Director, legislation@lwvc.org

Trudy Schafer, LWVC Program Director/Advocate, 801 12th Street, Suite 220, Sacramento95814, 916-442-9210, Fax 916-442-7362, advocacy@lwvc.org

Let's Rebuild California, 916-448-1401, www.ReadForYourself.org

YES on Proposition 1E
The Rebuild California Plan--Flood Control and Water Quality

• California is vulnerable to natural disasters, from earthquakes and fires to floods and mudslides. Proposition 1E is a critical step to prepare for flood-related disasters, and at the same time make sure we have clean water to meet our growing needs.
• Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call, reminding us that we cannot continue to neglect our unsafe levees and flood control systems. One catastrophic flood would impact the entire state and disrupt the supply of clean drinking water.
• Proposition 1E expedites the most urgent projects to protect homes and lives through repairs and improvements to levees and flood control facilities. It will provide increased protection in heavily populated urban areas.
• Proposition1E will provide protection in all parts of the state, from levee failure in the Central Valley to flash flooding in Southern California.
• Proposition 1E will also protect our oceans and our supply of clean, safe drinking water by upgrading flood control systems that threaten drinking water supplies, pollute streams and foul beaches.
• Proposition 1E is part of the Rebuild California Plan that will provide the protections we need to sustain our economy and preserve our quality of life. It has accountability measures and audits to ensure the money is spent wisely and will be repaid with current revenues.

Note: Please adapt this letter to your own community and check your local paper's word limit for published letters.

Editor:

Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call for California, and Proposition 1E on the November 7 ballot is California's answer. This bond measure will begin the essential repairs to our aging and neglected flood control system we need to protect lives and property.

It will also protect our supply of clean, safe drinking water by upgrading flood control systems that can fail and threaten drinking water supplies, pollute streams, and foul beaches.

California is vulnerable to natural disasters, and our economy and our quality of life are at risk if we do not upgrade our water infrastructure. Vote YES on Proposition 1E on November 7 to meet that challenge.

Sincerely,

(your name)