Letters to the Editor 7-2-15

Water worries
EDITOR: Were you one of the many that received a letter dated June 9, 2015 from the State Water Resources Control Board postmarked June 15 after June 17? Did anyone from any agency inform you there was a meeting, on June 17 in Sacramento to discuss a drought emergency regulation concerning some of our local watersheds and conservation measures that were in the June 9 letter, or that the water board had written an emergency action plan with very little public input?
I know that doesn’t make much sense but that’s what happened to me.
Did some of you contact the water board to complain and hear that the resolution would be sent to the Office of Administrative Law on Friday, June 26? Did one of your neighbors call you to say that the resolution was sent on June 24 instead and you had five calendar days to respond?
I decided to exercise my right of freedom of speech and send my comments to the water board via the fax number that was listed on the cover sheet of the regulation sent by the water board. After making several attempts at sending my letter, I gave up and called the water board. Guess what I was told? The number listed on the form was incorrect
I live in the Dutch Bill Creek watershed. Our water is supplied by an 180-foot-deep well. It has gone dry on a few occasions, once requiring the pump to be replaced. I am sure some of you have faced the same challenge. I believe in water conservation for any reasons, as we all do.
What I don’t believe in our governor and the California State Water Resources Board having the power to nullify my constitutional rights with a stroke of a pen.
I have read the emergency action regulation plan, (all 64 pages) and there are a few items that bother me.
First, the information requested must be submitted via computer. The board claims that it should take about an hour to complete the informational form but that I might have to spend an additional 15 hours or more searching for the pertinent information I may not have readily available. I read that I could be linked to sites that could help me find what I needed. Linked? I am not computer savvy.
I either attempt to figure out how to submit the form or lessen my frustration and hire someone to help me. Since I am retired and live on a fixed and limited income, this would cause a financial burden.
But even though I am computer illiterate, I am not illiterate. The Fourth Amendment written by our forefathers is very clear. Paper and effects are secure against unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant. I believe the informational request is unreasonable. I see no correlation between the information requested and an immediate solution to the challenges of from the four year drought.
If and when I am served with a warrant, I of course will cooperate.
At that time I will exercise my Fifth Amendment right and provide the state board with a bill for my expenses at an hourly rate of $65, (the conservative estimate listed in the document.) Remember the Fifth Amendment states, “Nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.”
I hope the board has the funds and a procedure in place so that I can be reimbursed in a reasonable amount of time since I will have already done its work, sacrificing my time and income.
John Loades
Occidental