Read below the letter from a constituent to his council members, then consider the ramifications.
Linkage fees are already in play. Next, let’s also “throttle back on construction permits” to address the water crisis.
In fact, let’s do all we can to ensure owners can’t use their property and businesses can’t expand. That will save water, moreso as businesses locate elsewhere.
What’s more, why not a government moratorium on anyone moving to the state until water resources are no longer a problem?
Ridicul-inanity.
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Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2014
Subject: The Drought Emergency
To: SherriLightner@sandiego.gov; KevinFaulconer@sandiego.gov; TGloria@sandiego.gov; MyrtleCole@sandiego.gov; LorieZapf@sandiego.gov; MarkKersey@sandiego.gov; ScottSherman@sandiego.gov; MartiEmerald@sandiego.gov; DavidAlvarez@sandiego.gov
CC: CityAttorney@sandiego.gov; ATevlin@sandiego.gov
Dear Mr. Gloria and Council members,
The Governor declared a drought emergency yesterday, noting that the statewide snow-pack is at about one-fifth of normal. We might be in the midst of the most intense drought since we began keeping rainfall records a century or so ago. The situation is dire, getting worse.
Having little else to do with my time, I read the agenda for the Planning Commission and the DSD hearings that happen nearly every week. We issue a lot of permits, ladies and gentlemen, for a lot of new housing, in all parts of the city, seemingly oblivious to the need to reduce water use. That gets us deeper into trouble insofar as water usage is concerned.
The City has declared emergencies in the past for one shortage or another. I believe it’s time for the City to declare a drought emergency and then throttle back on construction permits while the emergency is in effect. I urge you to book a discussion of our water situation on the Council’s agenda soon, so we can begin to cope with it.
Jim Varnadore
City Heights