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OPINION: A Single Tunnel Might Make Sense for California

Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to drill two enormous tunnels to divert water to the Central Valley and Southern California should have been buried a long time ago. The $17 billion price is too high, as is the risk of an out-and-out water grab at the expense of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast. But the governor stubbornly resisted alternatives to his California WaterFix — until now.

Executive Summary for January 19th

A series of stories this week renewed talk about the potential that Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration would scale down its $17 billion twin tunnels proposal, California WaterFix. Last fall, after two water agencies balked at the price tag, the state’s project to build new water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta looked to be faltering. But talk intensified recently about cutting the project in half.

New State Water Chief is Married to SoCal Water Strategist. Critics Say That’s Too Close

Critics who say state water policy tilts too far toward Southern California got additional ammunition last week, when Gov. Jerry Brown named a new director to run his Department of Water Resources. New DWR Director Karla Nemeth is married to Tom Philp, an executive strategist with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Nemeth’s duties include overseeing the State Water Project, which delivers water from Northern California to the southern half of the state, and forging ahead with Brown’s controversial Delta tunnels project.