Christine Bedell: Shhhh, I was trying to hear Costa
| Friday, Sep 18 2009 07:57 PM
Last Updated Friday, Sep 18 2009 07:59 PM
I'm no water expert, so I can't really opine on the quality of the discussion about California's water problems featured on Sean Hannity's "The Valley Hope Forgot" program Thursday night.
What did strike me was just how badly people were treated, especially Congressman Jim Costa, who, frankly, is in a good position to help the situation -- he's been a water crusader for decades and is in the majority party.
Costa, a Fresno Democrat, was booed during his introduction and later as he answered questions. Candi Easter, head of the Kern County Democratic Party, said he was made to look like a fool.
She was peeved he even went on the show.
OK, OK. At this point you may be laughing at me for making an issue out of people behaving badly on a political talk show. Happens all the time. (Though I'm not blaming Hannity; he treated Costa well).
It's just so annoying because it gets in the way of learning something.
And just what was so objectionable? Costa started out thanking Hannity for highlighting the issue of water shortages devastating farmers (and we can all debate how much is man-made versus the effects of a natural drought); pointed out the state's water system needs updating and expanding; and argued ammonia dumping is also killing fish.
Boo. Boo. Boooo.
Conservative local talk radio host Inga Barks, who was also on the show (broadcast from Huron) and is a friend of Hannity's, agreed Friday Costa was treated badly.
Barks said she tried to quiet the crowd and asked on Facebook why people booed.
When I asked Barks if she disagreed with anything Costa said, she said she didn't know -- she couldn't hear him speak.
And yes, Barks agreed, it's counter-productive.
"You have nailed the argument I've been giving people," she said. "Repelling the one guy with the ear of the Democrats is not helping the cause."
But, Barks said, she understands where the crowd, which got caught up in its emotions, was coming from. Republicans who appeared on the show with Costa and fellow Congressmen Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, and George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, are fighting "publicly and vehemently" for better water policy and some in the crowd aren't seeing the same from Costa.
Costa's been working on water policy for years and years and years, I told Barks.
"That's their frustration," she said. "He's been part of water policy for decades and what has he done?"
Let me tell you, Costa said Friday. He said he's helped get authorize some 600,000 acre feet of water supply for the valley since 1988. An acre foot is about the amount of water needed to serve one average family for a year.
He's been working on the two-gates project, an experiment to test alternative ways of protecting the delta smelt from pumps, and key water transfers, Costa said.
"I can go on with a host of significant accomplishments," he said.
Costa said there's been an effort in Fresno-area talk radio to ignore his efforts on water and make him guilty by association of the Department of Interior's inadequate support.
Costa said he agrees the feds aren't helping enough on water.
Gene Lundquist, a Kern County Water Agency director and a Republican, said he was "really angered" by Costa's treatment on the Hannity show.
"I would argue he's done more than just about anybody" to increase affordable water supplies for Kern, Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties during his state and federal legislative career, Lundquist said.
Agency General Manager Jim Beck said Costa was instrumental in getting Interior Secretary Ken Salazar here to see first-hand what inaction is doing to farmers and to securing stimulus funding for water projects.
"I think it was unfair the way Congressman Costa was treated," Beck said. "Much of what you saw was general frustration with the current administration (and its failure) to address the issues we battle every day."
These are Christine Bedell's opinions, not those of The Californian.
