Senate GOP leader Dave Cogdill says it is "absolutely essential" that the Legislature place a water bond on the November ballot "to ensure that water continues to flow" in the state.
Cogdill, who has been the legislative Republican point man on water negotiations before he took over as Senate GOP leader in May, made the comments in a op-ed published on the Fox and Hounds Web site.
But striking a deal is likely going to have to wait until the budget impasse is complete, as Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, has said he doesn't want to negotiate until after the budget.
Cogdill, who doesn't want to wait, said the new bond plan sponsored by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was a "much welcomed shot in the arm for an issue that's been on the backburner for too long."
Feinstein and Schwarzenegger announced their $9.3 billion bond on July 10.
The biggest stumbling block in water bond negotiations has been over the potential inclusion of dams, known in Capitol parlance as "above ground storage." In broad terms, Republicans are demanding dams and Democrats are opposed.
Perata has also wanted the governor to sign legislation to allow for the spending of already-approved bond funds, passed by voters in 2006.
"We cannot afford to let this vital issue be waylaid by partisan politics," writes Cogdill, who, without a hint of irony, makes an explicitly partisan demand in the next sentence. "Additional above-ground storage must be part of the ultimate bond plan, which must be approved in time to go before the voters on the November ballot."
@Nyx.CommentBody@