California

Smart folks, here.

Our findings indicate that California’s Central Valley alone has close to three times the volume of fresh groundwater (< 3,000 mg/L TDS) and four times the volume of USDWs (< 10,000 mg/L Total Dissolved Solids) than previous estimates suggest.

Sorry, Steve - you think the US has all sorts of problems. So tell us, in reasoned and reasonable manner, what they are, and what your solutions are. Alleging that only Republicans are 'real' Americans, and therefore can solve those problems, isn't enough.

Why don't you enlighten us on how we are going to get all that water into those basins?



Where it's simple to do, (SGV), it's already being done.

Shasta lake could be made far larger by raising the height of the dam.

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, unveiled legislation today to reform California’s cash bail system and replace a pretrial process that often forces people of modest means to remain in jail until a court can determine their innocence or guilt but allows the wealthy to go free.

According to the most recent data available, 63 percent of the inmates in county jails are awaiting trial or sentencing. That’s roughly 46,000 Californians on any given day. While some defendants are considered too dangerous to release or a flight risk and should be held in custody for those reasons, most are not a threat to public safety and could be released, monitored and reminded when to return for court hearings.

“California’s bail system punishes poor people simply for being poor,” said Bonta. “In many cases, if you have enough money to pay your bail, you can get out regardless of whether you are a risk to the public. But if you’re poor, you have to sit in jail even when the charge is a misdemeanor like a traffic ticket. That’s not justice.”

Even bail for the most minor offenses can run over $1,000. And for people who can’t pay, their lives are turned upside down, waiting in jail for weeks or months before their case goes to court. The result is devastating for the individuals, who can end up losing their jobs, their homes and almost anything of value, and creates great turmoil and difficulty for their families.

Furthermore, studies indicate incarcerating people before trial has a corrupting influence on justice. For one, many people charged with minor crimes who are unable to pay bail but believe they are innocent decide to plead guilty to the charge simply to get out of jail, keep their jobs and return to their families.

An Ineffective System


Money bail was intended to encourage people to return to court. For defendants, paying non-refundable fees to a
for-prot bail bond company does not improve court appearance rates. On the contrary, money bail has proven to be
more damaging to the integrity of our criminal justice system.

The US is one of only two countries in the world that
allow the for-prot bail industry to be part of the pretrial release process. (

The median bail in California is $50,000, and 10 percent – what would be needed to pay a bail agent for release – is $5,000, an amount beyond the reach of most Californians. In fact, according to a report earlier this year by the U.S. Federal Reserve, 46 percent of Americans don’t have $400 to pay for an emergency expense and would have to sell something or borrow money to cover the cost.

In May 2010, cops arrested Browder on Arthur Ave. in the Bronx after a teen accused him of robbing him of his backpack.

His family was unable to raise his $3,000 bail, so Browder remained locked up in Rikers awaiting trial.

He was offered a plea deal after 33 months, which he refused. As months turned into years, the stress got to Browder and he attempted suicide several times.


Browder spent more than 400 days in solitary confinement.

He was released from Rikers in May 2013 when charges were dropped.