Gov. Gavin Newsom Archives

State Seek Input on Delta Tunnel Plan

The California Department of Water Resources is holding a public meeting in Brentwood, Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Brentwood Community Center from 6 – 8 p.m. to review the details of the Delta Conveyance Project

The Delta Conveyance Project is the latest iteration of the state’s plans to build a tunnel through the Delta that will convey water from the Delta’s northern reaches to a forebay near Byron. From there, water will move on to the Central Valley and Southern California through the existing State Water Project network of canals. Previously known as WaterFix, or the twin-tunnels project, Gov. Gavin Newsom reduced the project to a single tunnel last year, spurring the new initiative.

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California Analysts Urge Lawmakers: Reject Gov. Newsom’s $1 Billion Climate Loan Proposal

Nonpartisan policy analysts took aim Thursday at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to use $1 billion in state funds to seed innovative climate change efforts, questioning the state’s ability to even identify the right projects.

The Climate Catalyst Loan Fund, which Newsom called for in his $222.2 budget proposal for next year, would offer low-interest loans to public and private projects that would otherwise struggle to attract venture capital money or bank loans — particularly those intended to combat climate impacts of recycling, transportation, agriculture, and forestry sectors.

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One Tunnel, Same Distrust

February 12, 2020/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Sacramento News & Review Extraby Scott Thomas Anderson

State water officials offered an early look at the downsized California WaterFix project earlier this month, and conservationists and far-traveling indigenous tribes say they still believe it has the potential to permanently alter life in and around the Delta.

The old version of California WaterFix, better known as the “twin tunnels,” was opposed by virtually every major environmental organization in the state, as well as fishing alliances, Delta businesses and groups concerned with the cultural and historic resources from Freeport to Walnut Grove.

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Newsom Proposes a New Approach to Reach Agreements With Water Agencies

February 12, 2020/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CapRadio by Rich Ibarra

Imagine more water flowing through the Delta during dry years, and a habitat restoration for endangered species. That’s what Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing in a new approach to reach agreements with water agencies—rather than issuing rules that are often challenged in court.

Carlos Romero, president of the Stockton Chapter of the California Striped Bass Association, said he used to fish in the Stockton area but the fish are becoming harder to find.

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‘Framework’ Aims to Aid Water Agreements

February 12, 2020/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Ag Alert (Sacramento) by Christine Souza

In the coming weeks and months, the Newsom administration, water users and conservation groups will continue to refine a framework for potential voluntary agreements intended to benefit salmon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Gov. Gavin Newsom released the framework last week, which acts as the alternative to a state-mandated, flows-only approach that has brought opposition and lawsuits from water agencies and water users.

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Opinion: Hard to Swallow Newsom’s “Voluntary Agreements” Under the Threat of Doom

February 11, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sunby Wayne Western Jr.

First things first: you’d be wise to forget everything you’ve read or heard recently about “voluntary agreements,” which according to the usual suspects, will bring a just and peaceful end the seemingly never-ending battle over California water.

Not true. Not even close.

To be crystal clear: “voluntary agreements”, no matter who crafts and agrees to them, would result in more money and even more scarce surface water leaving the Valley.

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Opinion: Gov. Newsom: California Must get Past Differences on Water. Voluntary Agreements are the Path Forward

February 5, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CalMattersby Gov. Gavin Newsom

Water is the lifeblood of our state. It sustains communities, wildlife and our economy—all of which make California the envy of the world.

Reliably securing this vital and limited resource into the future remains a challenge, especially with a warming and changing climate.

For more than a year, my Administration has worked to find a comprehensive solution for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta—a path to immediately improve the health of these waterways, create certainty for the 35 million Californians who depend on these water sources, and maintain the economic vitality of the Central Valley.

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Opinion: Newsom’s New Delta Tunnel Plan Could Work – But Only as Part of a More Comprehensive Water Effort

January 27, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kristiene Gong /Los Angeles Timesby Editorial Board

The point of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed underground aqueduct is to divert water from the Sacramento River beneath the fragile wetlands, waterways and islands that make up the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to an artificial body of water about 25 miles southwest of Stockton known as Clifton Court Forebay. From there, water would continue to flow through state aqueducts to coastal and Southern California and through federal channels mostly to farm fields in the San Joaquin Valley.

Currently, the water flows not under the delta but right through it. The problem is that when the powerful pumps are running near Clifton Court to drive more water to Southern California and the Central Valley, they reverse the natural flow of delta water and interfere with migrations of endangered fish

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Bonds on the Ballot: Will Billions of Dollars Help California Cope With Climate Change?

January 23, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CalMatters (Sacramento, Calif.)by Julie Cart

Given California’s international leadership in addressing climate change, it isn’t surprising that voters will be asked this November to approve billions of dollars in bonds to help the state become more resilient.

But why settle for one ballot proposal when you can have three?

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Opinion: Voluntary Agreements are a Better Plan for California

January 22, 2020/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Association of California Water Agencies by Dave Eggerton and Mark Biddlecomb

Gov. Gavin Newsom has consistently expressed support for successful completion of voluntary agreements as a path forward in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta. The California Natural Resources Agency and California Environmental Protection Agency recently described collaborative, voluntary agreements as a “game changer” for the environment. We strongly agree, and stand ready in bringing proactive decision makers to the table for the management of water in the Delta and its tributaries.

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