Drought Measures

As the City of Escondido will soon suffer a water shortage, Escondidans - who have this month enjoyed over three inches of rain - should be interested in the whys, whos, and wherefores of the upcoming "drought." This entry will provide the who's.

Federal District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger of the Eastern District of California ruled in Natural Resources Defense Council v. Dirk Kempthorne that the Central Valley Project had to increase the fresh water it allowed to flow into the Delta and out to sea to flush the ecosystem and improve the health of several endangered fish species, most notably the indicator species called the Delta Smelt. Judge Wagner was born in L.A. in 1940, graduated from USC and then UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law in 1966. He helped found San Joaquin College of Law in Fresno in 1969 and held a variety of legal posts from then until 1991 when he was appointed to this judicial seat. In another controversial case in 2008, he ruled that the City of Fresno owed 225 homeless citizens 2.35 million dollars for the destruction of their property during several city clean up campaigns (over $10,000 per person). Fresno Mayor Alan Autry was not happy with the agreement, complained to the press in a written statement, and Wagner ordered him to appear in court to defend his words.

Natural Resources Defense Council founded in 1970 employs more than 300 people, mainly lawyers and lobbyists, who "strive to help create a new way of life for humankind, one that can be sustained indefinitely without fouling or depleting the resources that support all life on Earth." Doug Obegi is the staff attorney on the Western Water Project for NRDC. Born in Orange County, he graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law in 2006. Prior to working for NRDC he worked for the Ocean Conservancy as a policy analyst. Obegi's explanation for the importance of this action is contained in his paper titled Fish Out of Water.

Dirk Kempthorne, was the United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009. Born in San Diego, he moved to Idaho where he was elected both Senator and Governor of the state. As Interior Secretary, he was awarded the 2007 Rubber Dodo Award for not placing a single plant or animal on the federal endangered species list during his administration up to that time - 472 days. The previous record was for 376 days between 1981 and 1982.