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WEST SACRAMENTO — A wealthy farmer who once gave lavishly to promote Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political fortunes and spent time with him smoking cigars has become one of his most outspoken critics.
Dino Cortopassi has spent at least $100,000 bankrolling an ad blitz targeting one of the governor's main policy initiatives — upgrading the state's water delivery system.
In an interview, Cortopassi said he's convinced that Schwarzenegger, Southern California water districts and agricultural interests that farm land south of his in the Central Valley are conspiring to build a canal that would pipe fresh water around California's fertile delta region, the heart of California's water system.
He said doing so would irreparably harm the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's ecosystem, which he says is just as important to the state as the water it provides for cities and farmers. Sensing a political threat to the region he calls home, Cortopassi moved to attack Schwarzenegger's proposal even before it has been placed before voters.
"I love it," Cortopassi said of the place he has lived all of his life. "I build habitats with my own money. It's a magnificent place."
Cortopassi, 71, has built an agricultural empire that ranges from olive oil production to agribusiness lending. He also said he has a lifelong interest in the delta's wildlife and has created a 750-acre bird habitat.
He accuses the governor of supporting a canal as part of a quid pro quo with Republican lawmakers who represent farmers south of the delta. In exchange for supporting the canal, Cortopassi reasons, Schwarzenegger would get their votes for a tax increase as a way to end the state's budget stalemate. The state has been operating without a budget since July 1.
He has taken out full-page ads in The Sacramento Bee — the latest on Tuesday — and placed commercials on local television and radio stations.
An ad that appeared earlier this month in the Bee features shattered glass over the Republican governor's face. It outlines a list of Schwarzenegger's broken promises since taking office after the 2003 recall election, including his pledges to reinvent government, stop the influence of special interests, eliminate waste and improve levees.
"He's trying to jam through an 11th-hour scheme to build a peripheral canal — a plan to ship Northern California water to his Southern California cronies," the ad stated.
The delta is the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and is the main conduit for sending water to nearly two-thirds of Californians. The massive pumps that send the water south also are blamed for killing fish, prompting courts to severely restrict water allocations to cities and farms.
Advocates of a canal say it is needed to ensure an adequate water supply to most of the state, since it would route fresh river water around the fragile ecosystem. Opponents such as Cortopassi say it would leave the delta too salty, further endangering the ecosystem.
The better option, he said, is to create more reservoirs and increase underground water storage. The plan by Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein promotes both approaches.
It has gone nowhere since the two introduced it last month, in part because the state Legislature continues to be mired in unproductive budget negotiations. The earliest any water bond could go before voters would be next year, and even then only if Schwarzenegger called a special election.
Schwarzenegger denied any backroom deal with lawmakers of his own party and said water issues do not come up in direct budget negotiations.
"We don't trade water for the budget or vice versa," the governor said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Cortopassi's crusade marks a sharp turn for the former Schwarzenegger fan.
Campaign records show he and his wife have contributed a total of $369,600 to Schwarzenegger's election campaigns. Cortopassi said he has dined with Schwarzenegger and smoked stogies him. The governor's office confirmed that Cortopassi was a guest at a 2005 fundraiser.
