Let me just take a moment to thank each and every one of you. What a strong year is has been for Restore the Delta activists!
I am hesitant to say this out loud, but we are holding our own in the fight for the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and sustainable California water management, and we couldn’t have done it without your support and activism.
In 2018, we’ve made significant progress in our fight to protect and restore the Delta.
- We did much better than anticipated during votes to support WaterFix at Metropolitan Water District and Santa Clara Valley Water District. While these were not technical “wins,” we split their board votes, and cultivated new water advocates, making the process more and more difficult for these water districts to advance their tunnel agendas unchecked.
- We won at the Delta Stewardship Council. The Department of Water Resources has been forced into a redo for the consistency determination – and must demonstrate benefits to the Delta from the tunnels. That will be a stretch.
- We won at the State Water Resources Control Board. The Bay-Delta Water Quality Plan, while not perfect, is a start for restoring estuary health. And we did not allow it to be weakened by special water interests.
- We held our own during the Joint Budget Legislative Committee hearing process. While the hearing advanced, legislators made the Department of Water Resources commit to returning for additional public hearings on tunnels financing.
- We survived Governor Brown. He did not break ground on the Delta tunnels project as promised at the beginning of 2018. And his “Surrender Dorothy” attempt to force a grand water bargain on future generations is being revealed daily by us and our coalition partners to be a big, empty statement lacking detail, solid agreements, and bypassing laws.
Without a doubt, at times our efforts have felt bleak, but the WIIN Act has not advanced, the Calvert and Valadao riders have not advanced, and even our partial wins have made our cause stronger by uniting Californians to work together to put a stop to the Delta tunnels.
Looking Forward
In 2019, with a new governor and a new Congress, Restore the Delta will keep you abreast of every threat and opportunity facing our beloved Bay-Delta estuary. We hope you will keep fighting with us for a sustainable future. Many more victories lie ahead.
Together we are giving the people who live here, in our cities, towns and farms, and our fisheries and wildlife, the voice to protect ourselves for future generations.
But we can’t do it without you.
Your generosity makes our work possible. Support Restore the Delta in 2019 and beyond!
We wish you and your family members a Merry Christmas, and the happiest of holidays. We wish you peace, good health, love, and prosperity for the new year.
All our best,
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla