Back in August the Fullerton Rag criticized Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva for joining other state lawmakers in signing a letter of support to the California Coastal Commission for Poseidon Water’s dismally ill-conceived plans for a desalination plant in Huntington Beach. The Sierra Club, who endorsed Sharon Quirk-Silva’s 2012 election bid, considers the proposed project so environmentally destructive that they have dedicated an entire campaign to defeat it.
Costly, inefficient, environmentally destructive, and possibly coming to Huntington Beach.
Later that month Vern Nelson reported in the Orange Juice Blog that Ms. Quirk-Silva had agreed to sign the letter to support labor interests who want the construction jobs, but had “immediately regretted allowing her name to be used, and tried to rescind her signature.” The OJ Blog went on to say that following the “firestorm” resulting from news of her support, she “made the decision to again oppose the project as she had in the past.” Vern credited her with having the courage to admit she had made a mistake.
The OJ Blog article closed with this paragraph: “Along with brilliant environmentalist and energy expert Debbie Cook, Sharon will hold a Water Townhall some time in October. Watch this blog for more details. And yay Sharon! Welcome back to the good side.”
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva has “mixed feelings” about Poseidon’s desal plant, but has not asked to have her name removed from a letter of support for it to the Coastal Commission.
I too welcomed Ms. Quirk-Silva’s reported change of heart, but when October arrived with no news of a Water Townhall I emailed both Sharon Quirk-Silva’s office and former Huntington Beach Mayor and Poseidon desal opponent Debbie Cook to ask when we might expect the program. Ms. Cook wrote that she was busy planning for the November 13 or 14 California Coastal Commission hearing to consider approval of Poseidon’s desalination plant. It’s a very important meeting, because if the Coastal Commission approves the plant, legal action could be the only way to stop it. She referred me to Adan Ortega, a former member of Fullerton’s Water Rate Adhoc Committee, who was recently appointed by Governor Brown to the California Water Commission. Mr. Ortega wrote that the Townhall was planned for December, and that he had been “asked to help with an overall water related townhall that looks past Poseidon and their project as it pertains to Quirk-Silva’s district.”
A good discussion about California’s long-term water strategies would be welcome, but I was quite disappointed to learn that it would not occur until sometime after the Coastal Commission’s decision about Poseidon’s desalination plant. The Surfrider Foundation calls desalination “the most energy-intensive and expensive water supply option in California,” and notes that its energy use increases “greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to sea level rise and ocean acidification.”
Sharon Quirk-Silva’s office never responded to my email, but a phone call to a staffer confirmed that the Townhall was planned for late November or December, and that the event would consider water issues at the state and regional level. There was no location identified for it yet.
I asked whether or not, in fact, Sharon Quirk-Silva supported or opposed the Poseidon desalination plant. I was told that she “had reservations” and “mixed feelings about it,” but that “her name was still on the letter” of support for it, and that she had not asked to have it removed.
Sharon Quirk-Silva should not ignore the economic and environmental damage Poseidon Water’s desalination plant would cause, even if it is not planned for the 65th District she represents. Scheduling a Water Townhall program after the Coastal Commission has already made its decision about Poseidon’s plant suggests that it is more of a diversion from an awkward political position than a serious discussion about solutions for the region’s water needs.
fullertonrag.com 
What a pain. Matt says this was the local office and he doesn’t know their name. I’m gonna have to call Sharon again. Is her staff misinformed, is she saying different things to different people, or did she lie to me?
Let’s see, here’s Sharon’s text to me from August 13: “We have told the Poseidon VP that my name should not be used on any future correspondence.” And she had told me on the phone before that that she had “asked to remove her signature” from that first letter, and they wouldn’t allow her, they said it was too late.
But her person tells Matt that “her name was still on the letter” – apparently yes against her wishes – and that she had not asked to have it removed – wait, that’s the opposite of what she told me.
Staff person not completely informed, or something worse? I’ll find out.
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OK, I talked to the staffer Matt talked to and I talked to Sharon after. I got the name of the staffer Matt talked to, but I won’t write it because it sounds like he’s in a little bit of trouble for erroneously saying that Sharon didn’t try to get her name off the letter.
Now he just repeats two things. “All I can say. Her name is still on the letter. And she has SERIOUS concerns with the Poseidon plant.” (I’m not supposed to write this either, but the aide who hastily gave Poseidon permission to include her name when she was still wanting to think thru the pros and cons – a fellow I know who’s very labor-connected – is no longer with her, because of this – the separation was cordial and we do not mention his name either.)
She did try to get her name off that first letter, with TWO calls to Poseidon VP Scott Malone (dark-skinned fella we’ve seen at a million water meetings – who’s the President?) Both times he told her it was too late, couldn’t be removed. He’s under notice not to use her name again. That includes any claims that Poseidon has the “unanimous bipartisan support of the county’s Sacramento delegation” which will just be an out-and-out lie if he ever says it.
I said “ok, your guy says you have SERIOUS concerns, what are they?” And she did go on at length with more stuff than I could write, starting with the eventual cost to ratepayers and ending with environmental concerns.
I can report that the famed Water Summit will be Dec. 6, place to be decided. She and Debbie would have liked to do it in October, but too many people they really wanted to be there could not. It will address many water-related issues, but will certainly touch on Poseidon’s proposed desal plant, with voices for and against (and whenever people hear both sides, the choice is pretty clear.)
I am relieved not to have been a fool.
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Vern, she could clear this up very quickly by issuing a statement that either supports or opposes the Poseidon project.
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