Executive-Secretary 'It Never Rains in Southern California'
| 'It Never Rains in Southern California' |
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| By Richard Slawson, Executive-Secretary | |
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Yes, during the largest, most damaging and longest economic turn-down in recent history, another government agency is taking the extreme position of shutting down economic growth. Instead of finding ways to accommodate the needs of average families' economic security, the Water Quality Control Board members said we'll just shut down construction during the so-called "rainy season." It is amazing that those who don't depend on an industry to provide for themselves and their families, and apparently don't know anything about it, can take positions that have disastrous effects on others' livelihoods. The construction industry, especially housing, has been hit by massive cuts in developments, funding drying up, and worker layoffs undermining the tax base. The construction industry leads all others when there are changes in the Country's economy. When Housing construction is down the ripple effects are felt across the nation. When manufacturing plants and public infrastructure are not built; companies, workers and government give up opportunities to provide - not only new jobs and maintaining existing jobs - but also support for our tax base and company profits. With the outlook in California already being bleak for a budget that will provide a decent education for children and young adults, we should wonder what the elitist environmental extremist who promote unworkable, job killing rules, expect for a future for our citizens.
There seems to be no environmental/economic balance among the boards and commissions in California. Even in the face of the most dire predictions for future jobs in the State, we have the area Water Boards, led by the Statewide Water Quality Control Board promoting a ban on construction grading during what they, in all their wisdom, have declared is six and one-half months out of every year. This is ridiculous! The Crafts, especially the Operating Engineers' and the Laborers' Unions, whose members will be first effected by an idiotic, six month construction grading ban are working with contractor associations to find a way to counter the Water Quality Control Board's action. We have seen what happens when extreme and unnecessary industry environmental actions are taken. We have seen, just in the Los Angeles and Orange Counties area alone the loss of auto plants, tire and rubber factories, breweries, steel and aluminum factories, and hundreds of excellent development projects because of extremists, NIMBYs and obstructionist. These were projects that fulfilled or if allowed to continue their permit processes would have fulfilled all of the California Environmental Quality Act environmental impact report procedures and if approved would have provided jobs, housing, and business opportunities for area families. We can't let this continue to happen, as the Water Quality Control Board is attempting to do, without a challenge. The developer/contractor associations, Building Industry Association, the Associated General Contractors, the Engineering Contractors Association and the Southern California Contractors Association and other industry groups are challenging these over-the-top "rainy season" rules and we need to help! Rather the going to the Water Quality Control Boards, whose members have already made up their minds we need to contact the Governor's office, the Assembly Speakers office and the Senate Pro Tempare's office to ask that they take a position against the construction site run-off rules. You can help by calling and leaving a message that you oppose the LA Regional Water Board's 6 ½ month Grading Ban. You can make the difference!
Contact:
Assembly Speaker Bass
Senate Pro Tem Perata |
The rain must have continued for weeks on end during the lead up to the recent meetings of the Ventura/Los Angeles area Water Quality Control Board. The Board members must have seen the flooding and devastation that had come from a six and one-half month "rainy season" and personally experienced the environmental degradation that the dirt, rock, chemicals, trash and other junk that clogged our Southern California streams, rivers and beaches or they had to be dreaming, when they voted to move forward a plan to stop any construction grading during the rainy season.
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