Water boards necessary, panel says

Alicia Robinson

The commission charged with evaluating Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s

California Performance Review, an attempt to streamline state

government, decided Wednesday to recommend that the state’s regional

water-quality control boards not be cut.

At Schwarzenegger’s request, a team of state employees created the

performance review, a massive report containing about 1,300

recommendations and a comprehensive reorganization of state

government aimed at increasing efficiency and saving billions of

dollars.

The commission, a 21-member panel appointed by the governor, took

public input at eight hearings around the state, the last of which

was held Wednesday at UC Irvine.

Contrary to a recommendation in the report to disband the state’s

10 regional water boards, the commission will recommend retaining

them, California Performance Review team spokesman Bob Martinez said.

The boards, which regulate water quality, are made up of local

residents.

Local environmentalists, including Defend the Bay founding

director Bob Caustin, opposed disbanding the water boards. They

worried that the plan to replace the boards with 10

governor-appointed administrators would take away local control and

accountability for water-quality issues.

“It would eliminate the local input,” Caustin said. “It would take

all the decision-making up to Sacramento.”

Caustin had lobbied to keep the water boards and was happy to hear

of the commission’s recommendation, but he added that he hopes the

boards’ power isn’t shifted to Sacramento.

“It is so important to retain [the boards],” he said. “I hope they

are going to leave them in the same configuration as opposed to

neutering them.”

The commission also isn’t recommending selling the Orange County

Fairgrounds, but the report didn’t recommend selling the grounds

either, Martinez said.

Costa Mesa officials have been concerned since 70th District

Assemblyman John Campbell in April suggested selling the fairgrounds

to help the state budget crisis. In its recommendations, the

performance review used the fairgrounds as an example to suggest that

the state streamline its procedures for selling surplus state

property, but the report did not give a list of properties that could

be sold.

The commission didn’t make any comments on the 1,300

recommendations in the report but will submit public comments on them

to the governor, Martinez said.

The city voiced its position on the fairgrounds at a commission

hearing in Davis last month, and Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan

doesn’t think state officials will ultimately try to sell the

property.

“We’ve made our position obviously clear, and if they’re listening

at all, then they’ve gotten the message that the fairgrounds is not

in anyone’s best interest to be altered,” Monahan said. “I think the

message has been sent loud and clear from the residents, the city,

the fair board, even some of the legislators around here.”

Other recommendations of the commission include retaining the

state air resources board, keeping the state board of governors and

chancellors who oversee community colleges and creating a new

department of public safety and homeland security that will include

the California Highway Patrol, firefighters and other emergency

personnel.

Martinez said about 3,000 people gave their input on the report.

Now the performance review team will draft a final report and deliver

it to the governor within two weeks. The recommendations will then be

included in Schwarzenegger’s future initiatives or in bills during

the next legislative session, he said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4626.