I recently served on a grand jury that investigated the water crisis, and the impact on our county's water supplies, which depends on contracted water from the California State Water Project.
It's not surprising that environmental extremist groups Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit to protect the endangered delta smelt fish, or that an activist federal judge issued a judgment in favor of it, which was agreed to by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.
However, when it results in a 33 percent reduction in water supplies for Central Valley farms, industry and Southern California residents, it is unacceptable nonsense. Because of the water reduction and the increased price of water, Central Valley farms have already cut back on growing food, which not only supplies California, but nearly half the nation.
Worse, it has caused a water crisis in Southern California. Favoring a nearly insignificant endangered fish over the economy and the lives, health and welfare of humans is simply insane. But what else can we expect from California's environmental zealots? Giving in to them, and a judge who should be impeached, is life-threatening. Not building a peripheral canal around the Delta, which was foolishly voted down years ago, is giving up.