California Could Cut Off Feds In Response To Trump Threats

[pintobean]

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – The state of California is studying ways to suspend financial transfers to Washington after the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal money from sanctuary cities, KPIX 5 has learned.

Officials are looking for money that flows through Sacramento to the federal government that could be used to offset the potential loss of billions of dollars’ worth of federal funds if President Trump makes good on his threat to punish cities and states that don’t cooperate with federal agents’ requests to turn over undocumented immigrants, a senior government source in Sacramento said.

The federal funds pay for a variety of state and local programs from law enforcement to homeless shelters.

“California could very well become an organized non-payer,” said Willie Brown, Jr, a former speaker of the state Assembly in an interview recorded Friday for KPIX 5’s Sunday morning news. “They could recommend non-compliance with the federal tax code.”

more:
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/01/27/california-could-cut-off-feds-in-response-to-trump-threats/

[yeoman6987]

1. Trump will just shut down the water going into California. Yes he's that nuts!

[diane in sf]

2. Then we'll have to speed up our solar desalinization in the south. We supply ourselves in the north

[Talk Is Cheap]

3. What do you mean by 'shut down the water going into CA'?

I live in CA. What water are you referring to?

[Kingofalldems]

4. I think that was made up by the poster.

[Talk Is Cheap]

6. Yes, I know...

Northern CA is a major watershed, although a lot of NorCal forest is federal owned.

[Blue_true]

14. Federal owned, but remember republicans want

States to take control of that land. Can't exactly letting Utah take control of it's federal land and not doing the same thing for California.

[Brother Buzz]

19. Remember, most of that federal water is used by Trump's base in the Central Valley

Them conservative agriculture boys use a copious amount of water.

[stopbush]

33. Half of the water used in CA is for irrigation,

and watering private lawns accounts for half that use.

[Brother Buzz]

42. I believe it's north of that, like, closer to 70% (used, that is)

A pie chart of all of California's water breaks down to something like this: 50 percent environmental, 40 percent agricultural, 10 percent urban.

[dalton99a]

5. Maybe the Colorado River Compact

[Blue_true]

16. California is not very reliant on that compact.

The biggest issue will be the red-blue divide in California. Most of the state watershed is in red areas of the state.

[Talk Is Cheap]

55. As I learned, SoCal is dependent on the Colorado river...

And what I do know is that yes NoCal is heavy red but the watershed is primarily
on federal land (i.e. forest lands).

[stopwastingmymoney]

63. NoCal is not heavy red

It might look like it on a map, but just like the national map, those red areas are sparsely populated. Most of the population lives in blue areas and we are about 70% Democrats.

[Talk Is Cheap]

65. That maybe true, but...

I live in NorCal. The northern counties have mostly republican Supervisors and county gov officials.

So, yes, sparsely populated, but controlled by County republicans.

[stopwastingmymoney]

66. Ok, whatever

People here recognize quibbling over semantics

Good luck to you

[Talk Is Cheap]

67. Since I live on NorCal...

I thought I would offer some additional info. Sorry that you feel
it was 'quibbling over semantics'...

[Talk Is Cheap]

51. Thanks for this...

Yes, SoCal does get a majority of its water from the Colorado...

[politicat]

38. The Colorado River.

It provides about 60% of SoCal's water. It can be shut down by 1) reversing the pump flows that bring about 10% of that total over the Continental Divide. 2) increasing storage at Powell and Mead, neither of which are near capacity, 3) close off the Colorado River Aquaduct and the All American Canal, and 4) divert into the Central Arizona Project Canal.

It's not easy, it would require a lot of cooperation from people not necessarily inclined to cooperate, but it can be done. And there are people who would be happy to do so -- most of Colorado's eastern plains have been in drought conditions for years, so getting an increase in water allocation would relieve another, less well covered disaster. Powell and Mead both need more water. Arizona can also use the water.

[eleny]

58. Actually, Colorado's plaines have been doing okay

Here's the reservoir map for November 2016. It's the latest available.
Ignore the % of Capacity numbers because some reservoirs have been overbuilt. And besides, you never really want a reservoir to be 100% capacity for safety sake.
The significant numbers are the % of Average.
The top one is for the current reporting month - in this case 11/2016.
The bottom number if for LY or "Last Year".
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/states/co/resv/state/monthly/resmap.pdf

And here's our snowpack map for the month of December '16 made available 1/2017.
Good numbers here, too, this winter as it was last winter.
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/states/co/snow/state/monthly/snmap117.pdf

We keep up with this data around here since my hubby worked for our State's Nat'l Resources Water Division. So I just wanted to add some data. Our water situation has eased in the last several years. In fact, we have small irrigation ditch laterals in our neighborhood. Ours is one of the old places that owns and accesses some of the water coming down from the mountains. Our ditch has been so full these past few seasons that we've been amazed.

Hope this gives some hope to this California discussion! Imo, there doesn't seem to be a dire situation here that would motivate Colorado to withhold water governed by a century of water law.

[former9thward]

41. It is called the Colorado River.

Guess what? It is not a CA river.

[Talk Is Cheap]

52. Wow. Really, the Colorado River isn't a CA river?

You are a genius!

[former9thward]

56. Given how much CA takes from it CA thinks it is.

I suspect they must leave that fact out of geography classes in CA.

[Brother Buzz]

8. Just wait until Trump's goons encounter the battalions of Monkey Wrench gangs

[Blue_true]

11. California is something like 90% self reliant for water.

Won't take much for them to make up the lost 10%.

[roamer65]

13. It wouldn't be long before Oregon and Washington follow suit.

There won't be worries about water after that happens.

[Crash2Parties]

28. The three would actually make a fairly sane nation together.

[former9thward]

44. OR and WA do not supply water to CA.

Both have water problems of their own. It does not rain in the places water is needed.

[fun n serious]

36. OREGON peeps will give Cali water

We have lots of water and an ALL DEM state

[former9thward]

45. You just elected a Republican in the number 2 job.

[fun n serious]

46. Dennis Richardson will be ousted

There is work on the way. He campaigned hard with Koch money and the Bernie?Hillary Riff was super bad here. He will be forced out

[former9thward]

53. I was in Portland for the last 3 months of 2016

So I was there for the election. At least 2 Democrats in the state legislature endorsed Richardson and the very liberal Willamette Week newspaper endorsed him also.

[fun n serious]

61. I know. I have no idea what they were thinking

Everyone in Southern Oregon where Richardson is from knows he is a tea party person and a liar. He filled his cabinet with swampy people and now is trying to redistric crap.

[hunter]

57. Trump California won't like that.

They're very dependent on Federal water projects.

[itsrobert]

59. Yup. But California supplies the nations food.

Nt

[AlexSFCA]

7. finally

Fantastic idea!! Hit them when it hurts - money!

[roamer65]

10. It's simple. Require all federal withholding taxes to be sent to Sacramento.

Then Sacramento does the math and sends what it thinks is appropriate.

[Tiggeroshii]

12. Could this be laying the ground work towards actual secession if executed?

[roamer65]

15. I expect the USA to become a loose confederation if Dump is not impeached.

Much like it was from 1789-1861.

[Blue_true]

18. I agree. Nt

[Matthew28]

17. If Trump keeps pushing I hope so

I hope Oregon can join the west coast union

[calimary]

24. There IS a Calexit movement underway.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/calexit?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Ehashtag

[KittyWampus]

30. organized in Russia.

[Crash2Parties]

29. That would fit Putin's playbook, wouldn' it?

[Adsos Letter]

34. Yes.

Anything that fractures national unity.

[denbot]

40. We in Cali will stay and fight the good fight

For our country, those we love, and those that hate us. Resist!

[notdarkyet]

20. I think all the land that was taken from Mexico in an illegal

War, the Mexican American war, which was conceded by a corrupt leader against the will of the Mexican people should be taken back, just like Indian lands. They could have ca az nm to. Or we could just form another country with the southwest.

[BSdetect]

21. CA should decalre no federal taxes be withheld.

That would fuk them up.

There must be ways to stop subsidizing those deplorable states?

[BSdetect]

22. K&R

[fob]

23. DO IT NOW!

You have all the support you need, Gov. Brown. Please proceed. We are already a "donor" state wrt fed spending in/out of the state.

[lark]

32. I used to live in CA.

and still have very good friends there. If CA seceeds, we will be making our friends barn our home, no way I'll stay in trumpland.

[manicraven]

25. Washington state should follow California's lead!

[gopiscrap]

39. I agree

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. 8 days in and tRump is piling kindling for a war between states and feds. Criminally insane. . . nt

[Vinca]

27. That's an idea since blue states are, for the most part, the donor states.

[Crash2Parties]

31. Just how much better off would CA,OR & WA be if we did so?

I'm thinking our budgets would look pretty nice. We'd need to make mutual defense agreements with Mexico and Canada...

[Scalded Nun]

35. Maybe they can pass a law requiring all in-state collected federal taxes

(gas, transportation, import, excise, etc.) to funnel through Sacramento before being forwarded to Washington.

Then don't forward the money.

Probably wouldn't work, but I'd sure love for 'giver' states to have some recourse. The 'taker' states (mostly red) do not care since they pretty much have no problem with fucking over their own people.

[red dog 1]

37. K&R!

But if that happens, couldn't Trump threaten to cut off all Social Security payments to California's retired & disabled, as well as all CA Medicare & Medicaid payments?

(Don't forget who were dealing with here..This asshole is evil incarnate)

[denbot]

43. We could "intercept" those funds.

Then pay it out ourselves until we wrestle out country back from Putin and his rent-boy.

[former9thward]

47. Really?

How would you "intercept" funds which are cut off by DC?

[denbot]

49. The collection point for Medicare SS FICA is at the point of origin.

If we don't forward it to D.C., we have then intercepted it.

[former9thward]

54. No, the money coming to the people comes from DC.

The money you are talking about comes from current workers. It is not enough to supply the people receiving it.

[denbot]

62. Likely not.

But the way it has always worked is that there are far more workers, then receivers at any given time.

As a short term emergency action, it would be better then nothing.

[red dog 1]

50. "intercept" those funds?

How, exactly, could that be done?

[SHRED]

48. I love my state!!

[Dawson Leery]

60. Certainly.

Why should Cali send so much money to the sticks so that deplorable Trumpbots can waste their lives away on drugs?

[JTFrog]

64. Just think of the weed tax alone that we could keep!

Fuck Drumpf!