Comments from the Chair

Charter amendments will reform our public utilities

I and other local Sierra Club volunteers have joined with volunteers from a broad range of other organizations to collect signatures from City of San Antonio (COSA) voters to put ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES FOR SAWS AND CPS on the May 2021 Municipal Election ballots along with Mayor and City Council Candidates. Support for these efforts has come from Public Citizen, League of Independent Voters, Green Party, San Antonio Homeowner Taxpayer Association, Texas Organizing Project, Democratic Socialists of America, Joshua Initiative, Move Texas, Texans United for Reform and Freedom, Poor People’s Campaign and others wishing to PUT THE PUBLIC BACK IN OUR PUBLIC UTILITIES.

It has been an interesting experience talking to many hundreds of voters over the last few weeks (safely with proper mask and distancing etc). Rarely do I encounter anyone supportive of the job being done by SAWS and CPS. Virtually everyone finds combined CEO compensation of $1.5M extraordinary and unjustified. Virtually everyone complains about mismanagement and unfair rates.

Our efforts have clearly struck a nerve with the public. If we are to benefit from PUBLIC OWNERSHIP of our PUBLIC UTILITIES, we need proper STEWARDSHIP FOR THE INTEREST OF ALL.

This has not been happening due to the incestuous good ole boy board of trustee systems running our utilities, and the hands off passing of the buck by our city government which represents us in our OWNERSHIP of these utilities. When these accountability measures appear on the spring election ballots there will be MAJOR DEBATE and discussion about our utilities and their relationship to our city government and citizen owners.

The beneficiaries of the current system, represented by major Chambers and Economic Development Foundation groups, rightly see such a public debate as a major threat to the status quo, a status quo from which they benefit greatly, at the expense of the rest of San Antonio, and also others not living and voting in San Antonio but “served” by SAWS and CPS. I have encountered many such persons eager to sign to get these measures on the spring election ballot, only to be frustrated that their suburban or county address gives them no voice in this accountability effort.

Please see this SAWS Accountability Act website and Facebook page for a Charter Amendment proposal to reform SAWS. Vista Ridge may be a “done deal” but its poisons continue to pollute our local governance. This Amendment is a call to reform SAWS Governance by:

1. cutting CEO salary to something reasonable,
2. enforcing term limits on Board members,
3. establishing ethics and lobbying rules for SAWS, and
4. independent audit requirements for huge projects like Vista Ridge.

Please see Our Power Coalition to overhaul CPS management, removing the Board of Trustees and putting power directly in the hands of City Council, with an Advisory Commission providing technical and policy assistance on all aspects of CPS operations. We must rein in mismanagement and climate denial at CPS. We can no longer tolerate CPS polluting our air, harming our health and destroying our climate. The TIME TO ACT TO REGAIN CONTROL OF OUR PUBLIC UTILITIES IS NOW.

20,000 SIGNATURES by SA REGISTERED VOTERS are needed to put each amendment on our SA Municipal elections MAY 2021. If you haven’t done so yet, please download, print both petitions on both sides, sign and ask family and friends to sign, and then mail them back to either or both listed location. Let’s “Put the Public Back in Our Public Utilities!”

MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL COULD REFORM OUR UTILITIES DIRECTLY, even without petitions and charter amendment votes. TOO BAD they won’t take action for ALL OF US.

Sierra Club mounts massive election effort

I write prior to election results. The Sierra Club at all levels has made a huge effort throughout the nation to remove anti-environmental incumbents who have spent most of the last four years pushing extreme measures to reduce bedrock environmental laws to faint shadows of their intent and former selves, leaving public lands and thousands of communities across the country unprotected from health damaging pollution and accelerating climate change.

Vote for your next Executive Committee

We have several fine candidates for our annual three open positions on the local Executive Committee. Much thanks to all who step forward to help our local Sierra Club and our local environment. One of Sierra Club’s greatest strengths is its foundation in local volunteer groups. Watch for ballot information in late November-early December. Another great Sierra Club strength is its ELECTED leadership. BE SURE TO VOTE!

What Just Happened Politically? How Do We, Individually and Together, Effect Desired Change?

Our next general meeting will occur just two weeks after the November 3rd election. We expect many of you will want to talk about the results. Come with your thoughts about what has just happened, and new opportunities that may have arisen towards our efforts to achieve environmental protection and equity.

The challenges are tremendous. So, is this a time of tremendous possibility?

Tuesday, November 17th
6 to 8 p.m.
Online via Zoom

As Matt Damon says in the Netflix film “Brave Blue World” *:  “How lucky are we, that we're the ones that get to solve this. In 100 years, people are going to wish they could solve a problem this big."

Reviewing the priorities we set for 2020 and planning ahead to 2021 is best achieved with input from our members and friends. What are your priorities for this next year? How do we go forward locally and nationally in the new political milieu?

Be sure to join our zoom meeting for discussion of these questions and any others you may have. Give your input, and learn from the ideas of others. The Alamo Group is its membership, and you determine what what we do and how we do it!

This meeting will be moderated by Executive Committee member Renée Watson.

When

Informal meet and greet: 6:00 pm to 6:15 pm
Announcements: 6:15 pm to 6:30 pm
Program: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Joining Zoom meeting  

Link: https://sierraclub.zoom.us/j/93300351100?pwd=QjdRd0syQlZQdjVRdFdHaWVCbzluUT09
Meeting ID: 933 0035 1100
Passcode: 875772
One tap mobile:   +13462487799,,93300351100#,,,,,,0#,,875772# US (Houston)

Note: We welcome visitors to all our general meetings. As a matter of courtesy, please be prepared to state your name and introduce yourself when asked, and participate by video.

* “Brave Blue World” is not only about water as its title implies, but also energy, social equity, banking, governments, and a lot of smart people who have already solved many of these challenges but cannot put them into practice due to outdated practices and policies.

Zion National Park: Not Entirely About Zion Canyon

This park is on the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, with many of the spectacular vistas resulting from erosion by tributaries of the Virgin River dropping off the edge of the plateau. The Virgin River runs out of the park southwest and joins the Colorado at the north end of Lake Mead, east of Las Vegas.

There are zillions of pictures of Zion easily found better than my own, but below are included a few views most visitors don't see. From a trip in March 2014.

The first picture is of Zion Canyon from Observation Point, which is a moderate hike from the trailhead at the Weeping Rock shuttle stop. It can also be reached from the east on county roads through Zion Ponderosa Ranch, as shown on the map (here is the park's maps page).

Zion Canyon from Observation Point, looking south-southwest. The Virgin River is visible in the bottom of the canyon. Angels Landing is the distant little outcrop just above halfway between the canyon floor and the canyon rim on the right, above and right of center of this picture. Good pictures at the above link for the latter.

The second picture is of The Subway, which indeed looks like a subway tunnel with the roof missing. This can be reached from the either the north, Wildcat Canyon trailhead, or the south, from Left Fork trailhead, both off Kolob Terrace Road, which gets far less traffic than Zion Canyon Road. Permits are now required in either case. From the north requires technical skills as there are rappels. But from the south (the option I took) this is a somewhat challenging day hike, 9 miles out and back with a bit of route finding but no technical stuff. Here's a link with a route map and pictures of people swimming and rappelling..

The Subway, looking upstream. The technical sections are just beyond the area in shadow.

The third picture is a bit downstream of The Subway, a pleasant cascade. I took videos also; I had forgotten how interesting this creek was. This is Left Fork of North Creek, which joins the Virgin River southwest of the park.

Not far downstream of The Subway.

The fourth picture is of La Verkin Creek, on a 14 mile round trip hike from Kolob Canyons Road to Kolob Arch. There are a bunch of backcountry campsites along the creek. The Kolob Canyons section of the park is an hour's drive around northwest from Zion Canyon. This creek joins the Virgin River about 6 straight-line miles west of where North Creek (above) does.

One of many scenic spots along La Verkin Creek.

The last picture is from Lava Point, the location of the trailhead for the West Rim Trail and a vehicle-accessible primitive campground, almost at the end of Kolob Terrace Road. This is also an hour's drive around northwest from Zion Canyon, and southeast of Kolob Canyons Road. Years ago I was thinking of doing the Zion Traverse, a 50 mile route from Kolob Canyons Road, past Lava Point, across Zion Valley and climb out the East Rim Trail to the east park entrance. There is a good article on this route at HikingProject.com. If I go back, looks like there should be a nice 12 mile round trip hike on the West Rim Trail from Lava Point to Potato Hollow.

From Lava Point looking south-southeast off the edge of the Colorado Plateau. The high nubbin right of center is West Temple, at the right end of a ridge. Correlating with the map we can see Zion Canyon is behind that ridge. From HikingProject.com, a better picture than my own.

Outings: The Call of the Wild

Visit the Alamo Sierra Club Outings page on Meetup for detailed information about all of our upcoming Sierra Club Outings.

The Alamo Sierran Newsletter

Richard Alles, Editor
Published by The Alamo Group of the Sierra Club, P.O. Box 6443, San Antonio, TX 78209, AlamoSierraClub.org.
The Alamo Group is one of 13 regional groups within the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club.

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