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Now that there’s a list of projects vying for the $2.7 billion in Proposition 1 money dedicated to water storage, you’d think the chances of the proposed Sites Reservoir in Colusa County getting some of that cash would be clearer. Not so. There are few surprises in the list of projects. The uncertainty is because the decision will be made by the California Water Commission, a panel whose members are appointed by the governor, without a confirmation process so there’s no accountability. And, there is no real track record for such decisions.

Five months after California outlined a $383 million plan to slow the shrinking of the state’s largest lake, agencies will try to make sure officials honor the commitment, according to a report. The proposal announced in March involves building ponds at the north and south ends of the Salton Sea, a salty, desert lake that has suffered a string of environmental setbacks since the 1970s. The plan left agencies in the Imperial Valley unsatisfied because only $80.5 million has been approved so far — and they questioned whether the state would follow through and live up to its commitments during the next decade.

There’s an invasion plaguing the coastal waters of Southern California. Waves of tiny interlopers spark havoc at fisheries, clog municipal water pipes and frustrate boaters who must dislodge buckets of sea crud. They’ve altered our coastal regions’ ecosystems, endangered native fish and birthed such nasty problems as “swimmer’s itch.” Accelerated in recent decades by international trade, invasive sea creatures have hitchhiked here in and alongside massive cargo vessels from around the globe.

Sacramento County led a cascade of area governments suing the state in an effort to block the Delta tunnels, saying the $17 billion project would harm local farmers, endangered fish and low-income communities at the south end of the county. The lawsuits come as the tunnels project, championed by Gov. Jerry Brown as a means of improving south state water supplies, makes headway with environmental regulators. In July, the state announced that the massive project complies with the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, and wouldn’t hurt fish, wildlife or human health in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Delta tunnels proponents really want you to read the latest blog post by fish experts Peter Moyle and James Hobbs. The project’s official Twitter account, @CAWaterFix, has tweeted links to the post six times over the past day. “Dr. Moyle & Dr. Hobbs explain why they are optimistic about #CAWaterFix from a fish perspective,” one tweet reads. The scientists do share some reasons for optimism, explaining their “qualified support” for the project.