From Mavens Notebook, Sept. 10, 2018:

Food & Water Watch and Center for Food Safety served a lawsuit today to challenge the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s approval of $11 billion to fund the twin Delta Tunnels. The groups claim MWD’s financing violates the taxpayer protection provisions of California’s Constitution, enacted by voters in Propositions 26 and 13. MWD’s decision to pay for most of the massive tunnels project, while receiving only part of the project’s water, would result in its ratepayers and taxpayers unconstitutionally subsidizing out-of-district water users, including corporate agribusiness in Kern County.

“Not only is Metropolitan’s plan to spend $11 billion on the Delta tunnels a colossal waste of public money, it is also illegal,” said Brenna Norton, senior organizer with Food & Water Watch. “Metropolitan’s financing blatantly violates Proposition 26 by sticking southern Californians with the majority of the costs, while the most of the water water would go to corporate agribusinesses.”   READ MORE