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: August 26, 2026 Contact:Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org SOLANO, CA — California Forever, a proposed development project in Solano County that would have devastating impacts on the Delta, is once again seeking to circumvent legislative processes to gain preferential treatment. Despite the Solano County Board of Supervisors voting in opposition to California Forever, legislation advancing through the state Legislature...Read More

In a revealing commentary published by Maven’s Notebook, Eric Buescher of San Francisco Baykeeper and Chris Shutes of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance criticize Governor Newsom and other political figures’ efforts to push through the multi-billion dollar Sites Reservoir project despite extensive evidence that it would seriously harm waterways and ecosystems, a conclusion reached by the...Read More

For Immediate Release: June 5, 2026 Contact:Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org STOCKTON, CA — In response to a recent press release from Governor Gavin Newsom, Restore the Delta’s Executive Director, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla released the following statement: “Further proof that Governor Newsom holds the same values regarding California water management as the Trump Administration. The Governor is influencing every regulatory process...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

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

A group of House members, all representing districts served by powerful water agencies, has urged the Newsom administration to roll back a key environmental rule governing operations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The rule includes critical limits intended to protect the ecological health of the state’s largest and most fragile estuary. Both the Newsom...Read More