Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Changing the Baseline: The Biggest Problem in the New BDCP Economic Rationalization of the Tunnels

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Both environmental assessments and economic assessments of proposed major infrastructure critically depend on a baseline or no-action scenar...
Friday, June 7, 2013

Will Fresno Follow Stockton Into Bankruptcy? I Don't Think So

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The City of Fresno's budget for next year assumes millions of dollars in new franchise fees from trash privatization, but these fees dep...
Wednesday, June 5, 2013

New BDCP Documents Say Taxpayers May Subsidize the Delta Tunnels Due to Uncertainty Over Tunnel Impacts

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The newly released BDCP documents contain the following passage labeled as a "Note to Readers".  (chapter 8, page 80).  (6/7 note...
Tuesday, June 4, 2013

New BDCP Economic Studies Use Outdated Growth Forecasts to Project an Artificial Water Shortage

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There are so many problems in the cost and economic reports released last week by the BDCP, it is hard to know where to begin.  From the mes...
1 comment:
Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Delta Levee Innovations

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Since working on the Economic Sustainability Plan with Dr. Pyke, I have been promoting "fat" seismically resistant levees for the ...
Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday News: Stockton to consider taxes for the November ballot, Kings are Sold, and Unemployment is down to 9%

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I guess it is a good thing that the release of our next economic forecast was delayed until next week. I have a lot of editing ahead of me t...
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

May Revise Budget Forecast

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A lot of people are surprised at the pessimistic tone of the economic and revenue forecast in the revised budget released today.  I don'...
Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Some updated thoughts on the Sacramento Kings' Deal

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The news broke yesterday that the prospective new Sacramento Kings' owners agreed to give up their revenue sharing benefits when a new a...
1 comment:
Friday, May 3, 2013

Which Public Workers Are Most Overpaid In California Compared to National Norms? Water Utilities or Public Safety

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There has been a lot of talk in California water about the inability of the State Water Project (SWP) to compete with the salaries paid by l...
1 comment:
Tuesday, April 30, 2013

New PPIC Survey Makes A Strong Case for a No-Tunnel BDCP Alternative

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The latest PPIC Delta report includes the results of an interesting survey of scientists and stakeholders on options to improve the Delta e...
8 comments:

Sacramento Kings Surprise

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It looks like the Kings' are staying in Sacramento.  I had been putting the odds of that as 1 in 3, so I view the announcement of the NB...
Tuesday, April 23, 2013

BDCP Appears to Have Canceled Their Statewide Benefit-Cost Analysis (Updated 4/24 3:30 PM)

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In Fall 2012, BDCP announced it was finally going to do a statewide benefit-cost analysis after refusing for years.  The framework and preli...
1 comment:
Friday, April 12, 2013

Is Westlands Exagerrating Drought Impacts Again?

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After a dry winter, it's looking like another tough year for Westlands Water District.  The latest CVP allocation announcement was 20%, ...
5 comments:
Monday, April 8, 2013

What Should We Assume About New Technology in California Water Policy?

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When we talk water in our Center at Pacific, my colleague Dr. Pogue always brings up the lack of emphasis on new technology in California wa...
3 comments:
Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Could Stockton Bankrtupcy Case Threaten Proposition 13?

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As the Stockton bankruptcy case moves into the next phase, two questions will loom large: 1.  Does the City's plan of adjustment treat ...