The California Senate Rules Committee voted unanimously to advance Dorene D’Adamo’s reappointment to the State Water Resources Control Board despite vocal opposition from Tribal, environmental, and fishing groups. Critics accused D’Adamo of favoring powerful agricultural and water interests, arguing during the hearing that those groups have had outsized influence over the Bay-Delta Plan process, while Tribal and...Read More

In a CalMatters piece published today, Rachel Becker outlines the major obstacles facing efforts to revive the Delta Tunnel project. Even as Governor Newsom claims the state is “closer than ever” to completing it, significant hurdles remain, including a massive price tag, unclear financing plans, pending critical water rights decisions, and a lack of commitments from water...Read More

This week, the Sacramento County Superior Court denied a motion by the State Water Contractors to disqualify Judge Stephen P. Acquisto, who has presided for more than two years over coordinated cases challenging the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) approvals of the Delta Tunnel project.  More than ten cases are currently pending, including challenges to...Read More

In a win for transparency and accountability, particularly for Delta communities, Tribes, ecosystems, and ratepayers statewide, the California Supreme Court denied review of a trial court ruling that found the State Department of Water Resources (DWR) exceeded its authority in approving bond financing for the Delta Tunnel.Attorneys representing several Counties and agencies challenging DWR, Roger...Read More

California’s snowpack is melting faster and earlier than usual, driven by a recent heat wave and the long-term impacts of climate change. The concern comes at a critical moment, as the state works to finalize the new environmental plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay. With extreme weather becoming more common, experts say that...Read More

A recent article from SJV Water highlights a steady decline in support for the controversial Delta Tunnel project among Kern County agricultural water districts over the past year. Support dropped sharply again following the Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District’s decision to cut its contribution by nearly 97%, from $4.6 million to just $146,000. The piece adds to...Read More

US. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) condemned the Department of the Interior’s proposal to spend $40 million in taxpayer funds on planning and preconstruction activities to raise Shasta Dam, calling it an “unlawful, wasteful, and destructive boondoggle.”  Raising Shasta Dam is illegal under California’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which protects the McCloud River, an area that...Read More

Ahead of its March 18 hearing in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, SB 872 is bringing together Northern and Southern California legislators, environmental groups including Restore the Delta, and water interests to protect the state’s primary water source. The bill addresses two major threats to California’s water supply: aging levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and sinking canals in...Read More

Amid mounting signs of ecosystem disruption and ongoing damage to the vulnerable Bay-Delta Estuary, local advocates, Tribal leaders, and policymakers are calling for stronger water quality protections and renewed scrutiny of the Delta Tunnel proposal. Representative Josh Harder has formally urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny the federal permits required to advance the...Read More

State Senator Jerry McNerney announced today the introduction of SB 872, legislation that would direct $300 million annually from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) toward critical levee repairs in the Delta and other subsidence repairs along State Water Project canals. Many of the Delta’s essential levees date back to the 1800s and no longer meet the U.S. Army...Read More