REVIVAL OF CONTROVERSIAL CADIZ WATER PROJECT FOCUS OF ALL-NEW “SOCAL INSIDER”
Senator Dianne Feinstein and Former California Governor Pete Wilson Featured In Rare Interviews
“SoCaL Insider with Rick Reiff” will air a special episode featuring interviews with notable Californians Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and former Governor Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) who will discuss pressing issues facing Californians today on Friday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCaL.
The episode first will take an exclusive in-depth look into the revival of a controversial Southern California water project based in the Mojave Desert - the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project. It will be designed to capture and conserve billions of gallons of renewable native groundwater flowing beneath the Mojave that is currently being lost to evaporation and salt contamination at nearby dry lakes.
Ten years ago a coalition led by Senator Feinstein, environmentalists and the Metropolitan Water District halted plans for an underground aquifer in the desert. Presently, several Southern California water districts have signed on to a plan that revives the Cadiz Valley Water Project, because proponents now argue that the revived plan is more environmentally friendly. A decade after the project was stopped in its tracks by opponents, battle lines are being drawn again with hundreds of million dollars at stake along with issues of environment, growth and water.
PBS SoCaL reporter David Nazar will interview two primary figures in the controversy -- Senator Feinstein and President and General Counsel Scott Slater, of Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. In addition, “Los Angeles Business Journal” reporter Howard Fine will provide a financial perspective on the subject and its prospects.
“SoCaL Insider” also will feature an exclusive interview with former Governor Wilson who will outline his controversial views on teachers unions, California politics, and Proposition 187, a 1994 ballot initiative to prohibit illegal aliens from using health care, public education, and other social services in California. Governor Wilson will share his thoughts about how the current members of California government are to blame for the political gridlock in Sacramento. He also will argue how teachers unions are destroying California’s public school system and defend his championing and reinstatement of Proposition 187, which was struck down by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1999.
“SoCaL Insider” has been revamped and expanded with a new assignment in 2012, broadening the show’s focus to incorporate news from the station’s new six-county service area in Southern California. Previously named “Inside OC,” the show recently was honored with a Golden Mike Award® as "Best News Public Affairs Program" in Division B for its 2011 broadcast contributions by the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California. “SoCaL Insider” is made possible with support from: Five Point Communities, City National Bank, the Automobile Club of Southern California, Snell & Wilmer LLP, University of California, Irvine, and Gemini Industries.
About PBS SoCaL
PBS SoCaL, formerly KOCE-TV, is Southern California’s PBS station dedicated to interactively educating, entertaining, and enlightening the greater Los Angeles area. With its three unique broadcast channels. PBS SoCaL HD, PBS OC, and WORLD TV, PBS SoCaL provides award-winning programs like Frontline, NewsHour, NOVA, Nature, and Masterpiece, as well as local productions Real Orange, SoCaL Insider With Rick Reiff, and Bookmark With Maria Hall-Brown. Through community outreach initiatives including PBS SoCaL Education, PBS SoCaL provides local schools access to new media materials that engage students in 21st century learning. Explore the future of PBS in Southern California at www.pbssocal.org.
