Jerry Brown: “Well, now that the gentleman has made that comment, following Sonny's death there was a major economic conference…”

“Well, now that the gentleman has made that comment, following Sonny's death there was a major economic conference convened in his district to examine the economic impacts of further decline or revival of the Salton Sea. It was conducted by the University of California based on an economic study that they had made, and this bore out what Sonny's instincts told him I think was possible. The detailed analysis showed that by reversing the decline of the Salton Sea and reviving it as an attractive environmental and recreational location, that this could, by the estimate of the economist who prepared the report, add to the cash flow of the region as much as $1 billion a year. Now, this just astounded all of us who had looked at it, and I think Sonny, because of his own keen interest in recreational and economic development which he had demonstrated during his period as mayor, was not as surprised as some of the rest of us at what the potential was. Essentially, what this report said, and we will be making a great deal of use of it, is that the economic potential of activities related to a living and vital Salton Sea is probably equivalent to that of the agriculture which is the world's most productive that surrounds the Salton Sea.”