Rita F. Silva: Gray was working for us, not environmentalists
Assemblyman Adam Gray (D), our representative, was removed from the Assembly committee for Water, Parks and Wildlife. Why? Because he had the audacity to author a bill in which he put the welfare of his constituents before party politics. He felt that our needs were more important than those of the delta smelt. Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins didn’t like that.
What is the point of electing someone to represent us if they are not allowed to do so? This proves that the leadership of the Democratic Party has been bought and paid for by the environmentalists. Gov. Jerry Brown wants to spend $25 billion to build two 30-mile underground tunnels to protect the salmon. That is insane! If you ask any Fish and Game office, they will tell you that a little less than 10 percent of the salmon hatched upstream will make it to the ocean. Most of them are eaten by predator fish, which makes for very expensive fish food.
For a tenth of that $25 billion, build hatcheries then transport them to the ocean in trucks. I guarantee that at least 50 percent will survive. If you use river water in the hatcheries, it should make no genetic difference in the salmon.
Rita F. Silva, Los Banos
This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Rita F. Silva: Gray was working for us, not environmentalists."