!! ACTION ALERT !!—Tell Gov. Newsom and Attorney General Bonta to Protect CA Rivers from the Trump Executive Order!

McCloud River (CA DWR)

Delta waterways (CA DWR)

Late Sunday afternoon January 26, while most of America was watching football with Taylor Swift, President Trump released an Executive Order focused on California water and wildfires. However, his Executive Order does very little for the fire victims or LA water, will primarily benefit wealthy irrigators in the Central Valley, poses unprecedented threats to state law, state water operations, and endangered species protection, creates risks to clean drinking water for millions of Californians, and initiates an onslaught of harassing interventions by federal agencies. Friends of the River calls upon Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta to vigorously oppose this illegal and abusive order on behalf of the people of California. More information below.

TAKE ACTION

Use this text or customize your own:  

Governor Newsom / Attorney-General Bonta; Please take immediate action to defend California's water from President Trump's January 24-26th Executive Order EMERGENCY MEASURES TO PROVIDE WATER RESOURCES IN CALIFORNIA AND IMPROVE DISASTER RESPONSE IN CERTAIN AREAS. The order contains dangerous and illegal threats to our water, our environment and our democracy. We are counting on you to take decisive action on behalf of the LA fire victims and all the people of California.  

Link to Submit a Comment to Governor Newsom

Write or Call

Governor Gavin Newsom 
1021 O Street, Ste. 9000
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 445-2841

Link to Submit a Comment to AG Bonta

Write or Call

Office of the Attorney General 
1300 "I" Street 
Sacramento, CA 95814-2919 
(916) 445-9555 

More Information

• The order continues misinformation, blame, and language hostile to California. The order states “Almost immediately, firefighters were unable to fight the blaze due to dry hydrants, empty reservoirs, and inadequate water infrastructure.” As has been reported multiple times and must surely be known to the President, there was plenty of water in reservoirs. Fire hydrants were not designed to fight a blaze on such a devastating scale.   

• The order directs Federal Agencies to illegally intervene in the policies and operations of California’s water and water systems. Section 2, titled Overriding Disastrous California Policies states; “In particular, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries.  The order directs the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to deliver more water and hydropower through the Central Valley Project (CVP), a network of dams, canals and other infrastructure, even if that conflicts with state or local laws.”  CVP water goes to the Central Valley, not to LA.

• The order invokes the “God Squad” provision to exempt the Central Valley Project and State Water Project (the two largest water supply/delivery projects in the state, owned by the federal and state governments, respectively) operations from all Endangered Species Act protections for all listed species, for California and beyond. These protections are currently keeping salmon and other native species from going extinct.

• The order requires review of a wide array of Federal funding and other programs in California for past lack of compliance and the addition of future terms. Sec. 3, titled Ending the Subsidization of California’s Mismanagement states; “The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall review all Federal programs, projects, and activities for all relevant agencies that impact land management, water availability, water supply, water storage and delivery, water infrastructure, and disaster preparedness and response.”

There is very little help for the fire victims. This order benefits Trump political supporters who profit from more water for big Agriculture. This order provides the framework for the Trump administration to illegally operate California water from Washington DC. Friends of the River, along with many of our partner organizations will be pursuing legal defense, advocacy and organizing to influence public policy and inspire citizen action.