HERE IN SAN FRANCISCO - FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS - WE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH A SEVERE DROUGHT - NOW THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN HAVE OPENED - IN THE LAST TWO DAYS - WE HAVE RECEIVED FOUR INCHES OF RAIN - AND THERE IS MORE TO COME.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

There is nothing like the heavens opening - and pure water - as pure as we have created - pouring from the heavens.

El Nino has arrived - and there is more to come.

Heavy rains - falling on this Earth - and giving life - to the trees, the plants, the rivers, the lakes - the torched Earth - and more nourishing the Watershed - a large lake - found from the Presidio of San Francisco to Lake Merced.

The birds, the animals of all sorts - all life that moves - having a field day - it has taken us four long years - to come to this day - and that day has arrived. There is joy all over the place and one can feel it in the air.

I love the rain - and one of my very fond memories - when I was young - playing in the rain - clean, pristine rain, and loving - every second of those time and now memories - long gone but forever - treasured.

Rain is what I love and have a close connection, with.

 I would love to hear the " frogs" - and when they began their chorus - I knew something good was happening. Later as an Environmentalist - I found out more - and today I am deep into Climate Change and Sea Level Change - that has changed so much that we took for granted - all over the world.

Here is San Francisco we have the " chorus frog " - as small as one's thumb - that one tiny frog can wake you up and keep you guessing - how can such a tiny, little frog - sings so loud.

Some information on the Chorus Frog:

https://baynature.org/articles/san-franciscos-chorus-frogs-nearly-disappeared-people-helped-return-frogs-got-noisy/

The rain patterns have changed - drastically - in California. 

Today, in San Francisco and all over California - we are experiencing El Nino.

El Nino - is a phenomenon that happens - once every ten or fifteen years  the Pacific Oceans warms up - creates warm currents - and can drastically change the climate.

We are experiencing El Nino after 18 years - and I remember it the last time around - huge trees falling - at the Presidio of San Francisco - where I worked for many years.

On the high ground - 160 miles plus from San Francisco - we have over 20 feet of snow - more with high water content.

The hight water content  is critical - so that we have  - drinking water - throughout the yearend save more in our reservoirs for other years to come. 

The run off from the melting snow - filling up our reservoirs - and nourish us all through the year. And even with all this rain - we must still learn to conserve - and never, ever waste and abuse the clean pristine drinking water - we import to San Francisco - by gravity - 160 miles plus away - the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. 

San Francisco gets all of its pristine - clean drinking water from the Hetch Hetchy area - known the world over - for its pristine water and the surrounding area - one of the more picturesque regions - in the world.

For those who remember John Muir - his black and white - one of kind photographs - spread the fame of Yosemite and more the once Hetch Hetchy Valley - that was flooded - to created the modern - Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

The land was stolen from the Native Americans - more the Miwoks, the Piutes, others  that still consider all of the land that was stolen - the resources - the forest and the waters - SACRED.

Today, in San Francisco in the year 2016 we still use - clean, pristine, treated water - to flush our toilets.

This disdain for our precious resources - says a lot - you can take the horse to the edge of the water - but, you cannot force the horse to drink.

We cannot abuse the hospitality, the resources that were stolen from the Native Americans - greedy contemporary - abusing resources - and thinking little of their sacrilegious behavior of sorts. Most importantly the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC).

Most San Franciscans are decent - not the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) that was created in 1996.

From its inception the SFPUC has failed to protect and preserve our resources - that was stolen from the Native Americans.

The SFPUC has millions of acres that it controls - large tracts of land - from Yosemite all the way to San Francisco - the area around Sunol and Calavares, Crystal Springs and the area surrounding it and more.

I have been monitoring the SF Water Department - that became the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) in 1996 since 1980.

When I was at the Presidio of San Francisco - more from 1991 until the time I retired - I learned so much - how inept, spineless, and lacking sound leadership - the SFPUC was plagued with - on all levels.

The SFPUC must take a stand - on how much clean drinking water and access to sewer services and now electricity - our great City and County of San Francisco - that was stolen from the Muwekma Ohlone - can embrace.

We cannot build - more luxury units - to cater to folks who have no clue about conservation - and waste clean drinking water - pollute our Bay with secondary effluents - and SFPUC has not bothered to read the RAKER ACT and less follow the mandates.

In San Francisco from the latest empirical data I have gathered - we have a population of about 853, 000 people.

This population increases by over one and half million - during the day -  more when we have events - games, and conventions.

Our area of 46.9 square miles once was pristine - our famous hills - once we had  52 hills - many of them - leveled - to make room for the " greedy ".

Even today - the natural beauty of our area - is not taken into consideration - we build more for the rich - and the Muwekma Ohlone do not approve such - sordid actions.

This land belongs to the Muwekma Ohlone - who exercised their Right of First Refusal in 1991.

Today, we have seen flooding - all over the place in San Francisco - our Mayor Edwin M. Lee is hiding some where - he does not have the decency and less " balls " - to go and see - things for himself.

The flooding by Candlestick Point - where a huge shopping mall has been planned. All over San Francisco - by LOWE's on Bayshore - flooding - by Lake Merced - the Mayor is talking about building skyscrapers - and compromising Quality of Life issues.

We have a budget - over $9 Billion - that is Billion with a " B ".

Our City's infrastructure that I have been following since 1980 - is in a precarious state of affairs.

The promises made to replace our sewer pipes has been moving at a snail pace - the General Manager of the SFPUC - and his lackeys - fast asleep in the cockpit.

In the private industry - most of these lackeys - would be fired.

Here in San Francisco - these inept folks - most of whom talk the talk - make salaries over $275, 000 - laughing all the way to the bank - having disdain for hard working, tax paying - San Franciscans - who pay their salaries.

We can fire some of them - and save on our failed - City Pension Fund - that is stressed out -  too many Baby Boomers - retiring from he City - and taking advantage of the fat - pension favoring them - many of them - double dipping.

When nature shows its true colors - we human beings are exposed - for all our talk and vanity.

We cannot stand up to Mother Nature - that is why humility is necessary and fortitude necessary to embrace - by those who are suppose to serve - and the rest of us - because that would be the best way - to acknowledge  -Mother Earth.

We pay the salaries - of these sordid SFPUC employees - and many of them have been penalized - the likes of Juliet Ellis - she is still around - messing around and creating - pandemonium.

Lackeys - like Barbara Hale - who has NO clue about clean energy and less about a sound Business Plan and Risk Management.

After four years of drought - we have NOT seen a well formulated  - vetted plan to conserve our resources.

 We have millions of acres - of forest denuded - from raging fires - the El Nino factor - now hitting us after 18 years - have revealed all our frailties - the SFPUC is fast asleep at the cockpit.

Large areas on our free ways and on our local streets still remain flooded- today.

Our manholes have not been cleaned up - stand water - stopping everything for hours - and those areas where the rich live - are given priority - and this nonsense must STOP.

We could have pushed for a Public Response to volunteers and having local residents - sponsor and take control of certain areas - prone to flooding.

Nothing, of this sort - has been done by the SFPUC - that is too involved in " conceptual projects " - far removed from reality of the day.

The audacity of Juliet Ellis to send over $200, 000  to Green For All - and receive compensation while she was still working for the SFPUC as Assistant General Manager for External Affairs - whatever that means. Corrupt to the core - she must be fired - now.

El Nino has exposed us for all our frailty - and we must wake up - and take control of our fleeting - destiny.