In an editorial from Mercury News, the newspaper argues that the delay of the $11.1 billion water bond, Proposition 18, from this year’s ballot to 2012 presents new opportunities. Namely that the state should not wait until then to start addressing water issues that will only become worse if focus is not delivered soon. The editorial states:

“The next governor and the Legislature must use that time to improve the delta's aging levees, fix its ecosystem by improving the water flow throughout the estuary, and reduce the amount of the bond -- by removing some pork-barrel spending -- to make the 2012 bond more palatable to voters. Gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman, who supports the bond measure, and Jerry Brown, an opponent, should spend considerable time explaining to voters how they plan to attack the water issue.”

The editorial also argues that lawmakers have shown they are capable of compromise and that a solution for creating a stable water supply can begin sooner than later and that the bottom-line is that “Water flow through the delta must be increased -- end of story.” The editorial concludes that a compromise based on compromise would be better than nothing at all and notes that “Lawmakers and delta water users should use the next two years to improve the health of the delta and work toward an agreement that can win legislative and voter approval in 2012.”

Read the whole editorial here.