By: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla
This short but important newsletter is about one thing – Restore the Delta’s view of the deteriorating commitment from the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) to Delta communities.
Restore the Delta, Little Manila Rising, California Indian Environmental Alliance, and the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness worked with DSC for three years to produce the Delta Environmental Justice Report. While this work was done collectively, I am only writing this on behalf of Restore the Delta based on our organization’s observations.
What started as a wonderful government-CBO collective began to sour several months ago with mistakes being made by new DSC project managers including lost invoices and poor outreach to participating organizations. These seemingly small but significant signs were our foreshadow into the DSC’s neglect towards the communities in need of direct government care. Our last collective meeting led to a metaphorical wrestling match for participants to receive a copy of the report that was submitted to Governor Newsom’s office for approval.
The dollars paid in contracts to our groups nowhere reflect the expertise and good will from our organizations to advance this work on behalf of DSC. The contracts did not cover the hundreds, if not thousands, of hours our collective put into this report to ensure it truly reflected the needs of tribal and environmental justice communities tied to the Delta. But it isn’t about the money – we helped to help and to uplift our community. Because that is what we do at Restore the Delta. We always work in good faith.
Seventeen days into our new contract period, we were notified via email that our contract would not be renewed and that our final comments for the environmental justice report would be considered in the public review process.
While we never viewed this work as permanent, the lack of acknowledgment and joy in its conclusion reveals what could be seen as DSC being extractive with its experts and the community. There was no final conversation or group meeting to explain the end of the work. There was no thank you, reflection, or celebration on what was accomplished.
Instead, the CBO collective has been summarily dismissed and Restore the Delta fears that the work is being suppressed to change outcomes. What should have been a national success story of government and community collaboration has transformed into resource appropriation once again by the State. But this time, instead of water, the spirit and expertise of the community was appropriated.
While the DSC spoke of respect during government-community processes over the years, these concluding actions do not match the rhetoric of concern.
The change in the Zeitgeist at the Delta Stewardship Council is chilling, but not surprising. Clearly, the agenda is now about advancing Governor Newsom’s Delta Tunnel without acknowledging the negative impact to the already underserved, underrepresented and underfunded Delta tribes and communities.
In DSC’s words, they are “a steward, bringing together representatives of the Delta’s diverse interests to collaborate and inclusively develop science-based equitable solutions to achieve the coequal goals.” Integrity is found in institutions and people when words are backed up by action. Sadly, the Delta Stewardship Council is losing its way. At least Restore the Delta and our partners can sleep well at night knowing we did our part to serve the tribal and impacted communities of the Delta watershed.
We share our cautionary tale with Delta community groups, residents, and California tribes so that they understand how the Delta Stewardship Council is functioning in the present. We hope the Delta Stewardship Council rights itself sooner than later. We will be watching.