I-5 as a metaphor

We came back today from Pasadena and Eagle Rock where we had delivered furniture to our daughter and her husband at their new house. As we drove back up I-5 there were a number of signs along the road talking about a congressionally induced dustbowl. Water policy is not an area I know much about but the images along the way were none-the-less compelling. When I was about 12 we moved from the Bay Area to Bakersfield. That was before the California water project and the higher education master plan and even before Jess Unruh took over as Speaker of the Assembly. But the California of that time was a place of possibilities. Over the next decade the state grew in a number of ways. It created a large aqueduct from northern to southern California. All of the magic of the state was not government - but the state was often mentioned as a place where things worked.

When I lived in Bakersfield the main route between north and south was I-99. To the west side of the valley was flat, ugly land. I knew about the area because there were some important oil fields in that area but the rest was flat and unproductive. With the California Aqueduct, that west side became a big deal. I-5 was constructed on the west side of the valley and as you drove down it there were a couple of landmarks. There was Santa Nella - which grew up to serve motorists right above the Guadalupe pass. There was a big cattle station - which often gives you an idea of how the cattle futures market is going. Then as you got past Fresno county you saw about 60 miles of big agriculture - stone fruits, nuts and cotton. With the drought this year - there is a lot of open land and also a lot of Almond trees which have been cut down because they do not have enough water allotment.

So how is the state doing now? We have the worst credit rating in the country; the highest income tax and sales tax rates; many of our schools are low performing. The legislature, which once was the envy of the nation - now has an 11% positive rating. We've also got a major budget problem and we seem to be losing taxpaying Californians in large numbers. i'm not expressing an opinion on the water issue but the empty fields present a picture which is mirrored in other parts of our civic life.