California state agencies used a confidentiality agreement to keep some communications regarding the scientific basis for the updated Bay-Delta Plan hidden from public knowledge, as revealed by Ashley Zavala on KCRA’s CA Politics 360 show. The agreement between the State Water Resources Control Board, Department of Water Resources, and Department of Fish and Wildlife was discovered...Read More
Native tribes denied greater say in water decisions with Newsom veto Newsom Vetoes Sacred Sites and Tribal Water Bills Despite Overwhelming Votes Tribal advocates say Newsom apologized for state history, then vetoed their bills Governor Newsom Ignores Water-Sector Consensus and Fails to Make Water Affordable in California Newsom’s final legislative session has ended with broken...Read More
In a recent letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a broad coalition of Tribes and environmental groups expressed concern over the Bureau of Reclamation’s position on California’s authority over the Central Valley Project and the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. The letter points to the Bureau’s recent assertion that the State Water Resources Control Board has no...Read More
Dear friends,In an email shared earlier today, we highlighted a few legislative wins shared by California’s Legislative Delta Caucus and Senator Jerry McNerney.Those wins include: $90.2 million to protect the Delta and fortify its aging levees Along with up to $68 million to safeguard the State Water Project’s (SWP) California Aqueduct and canals, which are being...Read More
Several critical water priorities have been approved by the state Legislature. Here are some key updates. SB 872, a bill designed to safeguard California’s water supply for decades to come, has been unanimously approved by the Legislature. The bill brings together Northern and Southern California legislators, environmental groups including Restore the Delta, and water interests...Read More
In a new op-ed published by CalMatters, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director at Restore the Delta, and Gary Mulcahy, government liaison with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, condemn the Newsom Administration’s efforts to advance controversial land and water-use proposals, including California Forever, voluntary agreements and the Delta Tunnel. Drawing on their years of experiences throughout Newsom’s governorship, the...Read More
For Immediate Release: May 14, 2026 Contact:Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org SACRAMENTO, CA — In a major blow to an already declining Delta along with California Tribes, Delta farmers, and the environmental justice communities across the Bay-Delta region, Governor Newsom’s May Revise budget proposal allocates $25 million to the misleadingly named “Healthy Rivers and Landscapes” program, which would send even more...Read More
An AP News article details the Trump administration’s newly announced plan to divert more water to California’s Central Valley, following through on an earlier executive order aimed at increasing agricultural water deliveries. The Bureau of Reclamation says the updated operations plan for the massive Central Valley project will take effect Friday. California officials and environmental...Read More
ICYMI, California is stepping up to defend its environment, its communities, and its long-termwater security. New letters obtained by the Los Angeles Times reveal that the Trumpadministration is pushing a plan to weaken longstanding Delta environmental protections inorder to send more water to California farmland, rolling back safeguards that protect strugglingnative fish species and help...Read More
We need you to call your state legislators starting today. Click here to find your State Senator and Assemblymember’s contact information. Why: On May 14, 2025, Governor Newsom released the State Budget May Revise, which included a broad sweeping package of trailer bills that would exempt the Delta Tunnel and water quality standards from adequate environmental...Read More
