Group wants repeal of stormwater regulations

SIGNAL HILL, CA — A coalition of cities in the state have urged Gov. Gray Davis to modify or repeal stormwater regulations recently adopted by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The regulations, the Coalition for Practical Regulation stated, are so strict that the measures necessary to meet the mandates will cost agencies and residents dearly. An letter to the governor was delivered on Friday and copies were published in the form of advertisements in some Southern California newspapers, bearing the signatures of 76 elected officials, including 25 mayors, representing 39 cities in Los Angeles County. The coalition said the letter highlights concerns of many cities that the rules, which were adopted by the Regional Board without undergoing a cost-benefit analysis, will devastate local government budgets while failing to produce meaningful environmental benefits. "A study commissioned by the California Department of Transportation estimated that these stormwater regulations will cost $54 billion and could trigger property tax increases of up to 70 percent for Southern California homeowners — equivalent to a family budget busting tax of $1,295 a year,'' the letter said. "The staggering costs imposed by the board's ineffective stormwater regulations will force cities, already suffering from thinly stretched budgets, to pay for compliance by raising taxes or by cutting essential public services such as law enforcement and fire protection," the group said in the letter. The complete advertisement, including the text and signers of the letter, may be viewed at the coalition's website. A decision is expected by late summer or early fall on the regulation issue. Meanwhile, the cities and county have requested a stay of implementation in the intervening months prior to publication of the appeal decision.