Summary: Friday, February 14, 2014 Last Saturday, a rather rainy day, I attended the 10th Annual California Water Law Symposium. This annual water law conference is totally run by students of the following California law schools: UC Davis School of Law; Golden Gate University School of Law; UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall); University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law; University of San Francisco School of Law; and UC Hastings College of the Law, which acted as the host this year. It would be hard to overstate the quality of the information presented and the eminence of the speakers. If KUSP listeners would like to get a feel for the topics and speakers, you should check out the link available at kusp.org/landuse. There are lots of materials available on the website. I learned a lot at the Water Law Symposium. One of the things I learned is that atmospheric scientists believe that the melting of Arctic ice, related to global warming, is a major cause of the high-pressure ridge that has blocked rainfall from reaching California this water year. I also learned (or had reconfirmed, more accurately) that water planners think that we are in the middle of an historic drought, despite the precipitation so evident last weekend. It is a time to stop fooling around on water, and fundamentally to reform our water system. Check out that website! Lots of lessons we need to learn. More Information: Land Use Links Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog Water Law Symposium Website
