Most observers agree that problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could lead to California's own Katrina disaster. The original islands in the Delta had levees built to protect them from floods. Now the Delta farmlands within those levees are sinking -- some as much as 25 feet below sea level.

The levees themselves are old, built on soft soils and could collapse from a significant earthquake, more land-sinking, a flood or sea level rise. A Delta levee failure would draw salty water from the San Francisco Bay to the below-sea level lands in the Delta. In the case of multiple levees failures, Delta water could be too salty to use -- a disaster for Californians from the Bay Area to Southern California who get their water through the Delta.

In the Santa Clara Valley alone, 50 percent of local water comes through the Delta -- a number that grows to 90 percent during a drought. Massive Delta levee failure would cause a colossal disaster that would hammer our economy and take years to fix.

Last year, I authored AB 1200, which asked the State Department of Water Resources to evaluate the Delta's future, describe alternatives, and then compare the solutions. As the bill went through the legislature, not much attention was paid to it. With the Katrina disaster, people began to think that California might not be prepared. The bill passed the legislature and was signed into law,

Because of Katrina, the legislature and the governor are focused on levees and water. I am carrying two bills for the governor:

• AB 1665 would direct the Department of Water Resources to undertake various efforts related to flood control such as mapping, and levee evaluation.
• AB 1839 proposes a water and levee infrastructure bond, part of which would pay for levee improvements.

I have also authored AB 2500, which would require areas that are urbanizing behind Central Valley levees to have a safety plan including levee patrolling, emergency levee work, evacuation and de-watering.

We have a good shot at passing AB 1665. But passing some of the others may be harder because they take difficult steps that generate significant opposition. In my optimistic moments, I see the legislature seizing the unique window of opportunity presented by Katrina to educate the public and develop and pass a coordinated plan.

My nine years as a Santa Cruz city councilmember were book-ended by a major earthaquake and a massive flood. Looking back on those natural disasters and the human toll they caused, it is clear that it is worth it to take the appropriate steps to mitigate a major levee disaster. But it takes investment, understanding and political will. We need to use this window of opportunity to do it.

Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) is chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and Assembly chair of the Infrastructure Bond Conference Committee