The now-distant December of 1988 was a big month for California water lawsuits that would last a generation and eventually land in Congress’ lap, where their ripples linger to this day.
Each of the two major lawsuits, introduced within weeks of each other 27 years ago, offers enduring lessons – in law, in politics and in the long, long time it takes to get things done in Washington.
“Nothing is easy around here,” Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, said Wednesday. “Not even a motherhood resolution is easy.”
This week, one of the lawsuits washed up on Capitol Hill with the introduction of a bill to implement a San Joaquin Valley irrigation drainage settlement. The Justice Department and the Westlands Water District reached the settlement to end the lawsuit, but it’s up to Congress to put it into effect.
