State Sen. Don Perata brought his “Bullpen” forum to Holy Names University Wednesday morning, November 15, and covered a broad range of topics, from state politics to water.

More than 120 people attended the continental breakfast event in the Valley Center for the Performing Arts. Sister Rosemarie Nassif, SSND, PhD, president of the university, welcomed everyone and introduced the senator. Sister Rosemarie listed highlights of activities and events at HNU and invited her audience to “Take at least one of these back to your offices and share them within someone today.” The items included the 140th Anniversary Celebration; record enrollment, with 1,114 students now attending the school, which is a solid start toward our goal of 1,700 students by 2012; the fact that while we have students from 37 countries, 90% of our students are from California and a high percentage are from the Oakland area; that HNU is now the Most Diverse university in the West; and the recent success of our men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams.

Sen. Perata, D-Oakland, who is President Pro Tem of the State Senate, said that water has become a leading issue in the state. He noted that the California Delta is “broken and must be fixed. Forty-three million people depend on having a healthy Delta for their water.” He also said that Los Angeles is in a critical stage because it has been disclosed that the flow of water from the Colorado River to Southern California cannot possibly keep up with population growth.

Other dire consequences of not solving the state’s water issues include possible water rationing and moratoria on development. Perata said it is crucial for leaders such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein to lead the way to getting a water initiative on the ballot next year. He said the initiative must address water storage, conservation and the cleaning up and recharging of the aquifers in Southern California.

Looking ahead in state politics, he said passage of Prop 93 is essential because otherwise, in less than one year, the most experienced legislators in the state will be those with five years in office. He also said that it seems obvious that Attorney General Jerry Brown of Oakland will run for governor in the next gubernatorial election and that he is the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic nomination. He said Brown also is the favorite to win back the office.