January 2019

California's water supply is now inextricably tied up with climate change. In a warming world, nature has already brought smaller Sierra snowpacks and less predictable precipitation patterns, with periods both of drought and of flooding. Gov. Gavin Newsom, if he is to successfully steer the state into the future, has to bring to his water agenda the same steely-eyed, reality-based drive that the two previous governors brought to limiting carbon emissions.

Los Angeles Times, January 14, 2019

December 2018

It's not smooth sailing for California's lawmakers in Washington, as a push to extend a controversial water bill is dividing the caucus along unusual lines.

San Francisco Chronicle, December 14, 2018

In a landmark vote, California water officials adopted a revolutionary water plan on Wednesday, aimed at restoring the state's ailing rivers. But they left the door open for a future compromise with the water districts that would bear the brunt of the plan.

KQED, December 13, 2018

Capping years of debate over the financial future of the state's critical water delivery system, California sued in state court Tuesday to validate contract extensions with its largest water suppliers for another 67 years. The move, which environmental groups could still challenge, purports to give the state the financial flexibility needed to renovate the State Water Project. If approved by a judge, contracts with 29 water suppliers will be extended through the year 2085.

SCVNews.com, December 12, 2018

A crucial certification needed to build two tunnels that officials believe would help solve California's water delivery problems was withdrawn Friday, ensuring that Gov. Jerry Brown's pet water project won't be approved before he leaves office in January.

San Francisco Chronicle, December 7, 2018

Just as two state agencies are about act to protect the environmental health of the Delta, the governor and California's senior senator are trying to undermine them. Californians should urge their congressional representatives to oppose this travesty and demand that Brown and Feinstein stop their collusion with the Trump administration to weaken federal water protections.

The Mercury News, December 4, 2018

November 2018

Brown's successor, Newsom, has been lukewarm on the project, saying on the campaign trail he favors "a more modest proposal" that might include scaling the twin tunnels envisioned under Brown's WaterFix plan to just one.

Sacramento Bee, November 30

California's most senior Democrat and most powerful Republican in Washington are teaming up to extend a federal law designed to deliver more Northern California water south, despite the objections of some of the state's environmentalists.

Sacramento Bee, November 30, 2019

What if, instead of seeking to build more dams or find new ways to divert more water from California's rivers, Newsom focused on how we can conserve water and create vast new supplies of renewable water through increased recycling, new treatment plants, additional gray water systems, efficient irrigation systems, large-scale storm water capture and more.

San Jose Mercury News, November 10, 2018