Policy Notes
Mono Lake helps Bay-Delta
In February of this year Mono Lake Committee Executive Director Frances Spivy-Weber was appointed by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to serve on the Bay-Delta Advisory Council. The Council is made up of stakeholders representing business, agriculture, and the environment. Its job is to advise the federal and state governments on plans to restore the Bay-Delta ecosystem. The Council also seeks to improve water quality and water supply reliability for farmers and Southern California water users who tap into the State Water Project. Fran will be representing environmental interests from Southern California on the Council.
Ultra-low flush toilet ordinance upheld in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles City Council voted 9-4 to keep in place an ordinance sponsored by Ruth Galanter that requires people selling homes and apartments to have ultra-low flush toilets at the time of resale. This ordinance saves water, which is good news for Mono Lake and the Santa Monica Bay. It also creates jobs, which is great for the six Los Angeles community groups that distribute free toilets.
In 1998 Los Angeles was using no more water than it did in 1972, thanks in part to voluntary installation of these low-flush toilets. Now water savings should double over the next five to seven years.
Villaraigosa links environment and community development in LA
In February the Mono Lake Committee joined environmentalists in Los Angeles in a meeting with Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa. The meeting focused on ways to fund environmental programs which would help revitalize both urban communities and the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River watershed. If the Los Angeles area watershed was restored to capture more rainfall in groundwater basins and catchment areas, the region could decrease its import of Bay-Delta water and provide thousands of entry-level inner-city jobs. Villaraigosa enthusiastically began to organize a follow-up meeting to act on many of the suggestions discussed at the meeting.
Return to Spring 1999 Newsletter
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