Media Contact: Dolores Davies, (619) 534-5994

Water and infrastructure guru Steven Erie, a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, will discuss "’Chinatown’ Old and New: Southern California Water Wars at the Social Sciences Supper Club May 12 from 6 to 8 p.m.

In the now famous "Chinatown" account, early Los Angeles reputedly grew wide and mighty at the expense of the Owens Valley. But, according to Erie, there is a new "Chinatown" brewing that involves San Diego, the Texas billionaire Bass brothers and the San Diego County Water Authority’s proposed lease of up to 500,000 acre-feet of "conserved" water from the Imperial Irrigation District.

Erie, an expert on urban politics and Southern California infrastructure issues, will illuminate the region’s water wars and San Diego’s most recent efforts to gain independence from the LA-based Metropolitan Water District. Erie, who holds a Ph.D. from UCLA, is nearing completion on a new book, "Imperial Los Angeles: Public Enterprise and the Politics of Growth," to be published by Stanford University Press.

The Social Sciences Supper Club was established earlier this year by the UCSD Division of Social Sciences to provide a venue for sharing interesting research findings and scholarly perspectives with members of the public, will be held at the UCSD Faculty Club. Cost for admittance to the May 12 event, which includes a hosted cocktail hour and dinner, is $45.

For more information on the Social Sciences Supper Club or to make reservations for the upcoming event, please call (619) 822-0621.