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Delta Caucus Co-Chairs Praise Exclusion Of Delta Tunnel Fast-Tracking From California Budget [1]

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Date: 2025-06-28

This week has been a busy week for opponents of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Delta Tunnel, an unpopular project that scientists and public trust advocates say would hasten the extinction of Sacramento River winter, spring and fall Chinook salmon, Delta smelt, long fin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species.

On June 25, Delta Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, and Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson, D-Suisun City, applauded the 2025-26 California budget agreement for excluding Newsom’s controversial proposal to fast-track the “costly and destructive Delta Tunnel Project.”

“Keeping the tunnel fast-tracking proposal out of the state budget is an important victory for California and the Delta, and for the communities, farms, and historic resources surrounding the largest estuary on the West Coast. The 45-mile-long, $20-plus billion water tunnel project not only would devastate much of the Delta region, but is also unaffordable and unnecessary,” said Sen. McNerney, whose district includes the heart of the Delta region. “The Legislature and Governor should pursue alternatives that will cost far less and would safeguard California’s main water supply system without inflicting major harm to it, such as fortifying Delta levees and increasing water recycling, water efficiency, and groundwater storage.”

“Excluding this proposal from the budget rightly avoids rushing a decision on a project of this magnitude,” said Assemblywoman Wilson. “If the Governor chooses to pursue the Delta Tunnel, I urge him to bring it forward through the standard policy committee process, where it can receive the full transparency, debate, and scrutiny it deserves. The Delta Tunnel is a massive, costly, and destructive project that demands serious review, not shortcuts. I echo Senator McNerney’s call to focus instead on smart, sustainable alternatives like levee improvements, water recycling, and groundwater storage — solutions that strengthen our water system without devastating the Delta.”

“Last month, Gov. Newsom proposed to fast-track the Delta Tunnel Project in this year’s state budget. The plan would have effectively eliminated environmental and judicial review of the project, while giving the state a blank check to float bonds to pay for the water tunnel,” McNerney and Wilson wrote

“But after the fast-tracking proposal was met with strong opposition by a broad bipartisan coalition, both the Senate and Assembly agreed to reject it and instead refer the governor’s plan to the regular legislative process,” they concluded.

Then on June 26, Restore the Delta released a video of 22 water contractors and agencies opposing an audit of the Department of Water Resources’ spending on the Delta Conveyance Project: www.facebook.com/...

“At the June 18th Joint Legislative Audit Committee hearing, the Department of Water Resources received support from water agencies, contractors, and other coalitions that showed up to oppose the transparency of money expenditures.”

“DWR is spending an estimated $1.5 million per day on the Delta Conveyance Project, despite legal and environmental concerns and strong opposition from tribes, environmental justice groups, and fishing communities.”

“Watch this video and ask yourself why so much opposition. What exactly are they trying to hide?”

You can see the video here: www.facebook.com/…

Then on June 27, Restore the Delta shared the following action alert:

Stop CEQA Trailer Bills that will advance the Delta tunnel!

We are asking ALL of our supporters to call state and federal elected officials starting now until we say that everything is good!

The issues are complex.

First, let’s deal with the California Legislature. Right now, there is an effort to cram through CEQA reform that could interfere with our collective legal defense of the Delta. Click here to read that background letter. Call you Assemblymember and State Senator and tell them that CEQA Reform should not be part of a Budget Package. Tell them that DeltaConveyance and Voluntary Agreements must be exempt from CEQA Reform. Tell them to stop all budget items that are about policy planning for the Delta.

Second, the funding for the not so voluntary agreements, deliberately misnamed “Healthy Rivers,” is back in the budget. Tell your Assemblymember and State Senator no funding for (cough-cough) Healthy Rivers because that is a water grab for the Delta Conveyance Project. Click here to see how to contact your Assemblymember and State Senator.

Next, staying on state issues, there will be a revote on the Department of Water Resources Audit request on July 15th. Here is a background letter on the need for an audit with updates from the June 18th, 2025 Hearing. Please call the following members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to let them know that they should support the DWR Audit.

They should support the audit because:

Significant funds (hundreds of millions) are owed back to ratepayer water agencies that are now being used for tunnel planning; We do not know if findings from the last audits were remedied; The rationale to wait until construction begins is ridiculous; if there are problems with spending and legalities during the planning process, the project’s funding will be fully out of control later on High Speed Rail.

Please contact members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and tell them to support the audit. Click here to find members, especially those who represent your districts.

(Assemblymember Ransom is leading the audit and does not need contacting; Senators Becker, Laird, and Dahle need lots of calls and So Cal Reps need to hear about water bill costs.)

Help is also needed on the federal side. Contact U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and tell them to protect levee funding for the Delta. Call your local US House Representative and tell them the same.

Click here to read more about cuts to the Army Corps of Engineers’ Budget. Human lives, property, and infrastructure must be protected from flood.

Thank you for your help.

The Restore the Delta Team

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