Tell Governor Newsom To Let Our Rivers Flow
Join Our Campaign for California's Waterways!
By this Earth Day—Monday, April 22—we invite you to write a quick note to Governor Newsom. Let him know that the citizens stand united for clean flowing rivers!
Prioritizing business and political interests ahead of California's precious water resources, Governor Newsom has continually given in to Big Ag, hastening the demise of our State’s once magnificent salmon-based ecosystems. We cannot allow this damage to our rivers to continue. It’s time to stand up!
Send the Governor a Note for Earth Day!
Use a greeting card, postcard, or paper, and use the talking points below to draft your own note to the Governor’s Office.
1) Introduce yourself and why you care enough to write.
2) Remind Gov. Newsom that April 22 is Earth Day: the perfect time to chart a new course towards a healthy Bay-Delta.
3) Choose a bullet point or two:
California’s Central Valley salmon population is on the brink of collapse, as evidenced by the closure of the salmon fishing season last year.
Toxic algae blooms are polluting the Delta, threatening the health of frontline communities.
Tribes and low-income communities are suffering the brunt of California’s unsustainable water policies.
Our rivers and the Bay-Delta are in desperate need of higher instream flows, not false promises included in "Voluntary Agreements."
We want our leaders who strive for a legacy of restoring the Bay-Delta, not capitulation to Agribusiness.
Send your notes to :
Governor Gavin Newsom
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, CA 95814
Gov. Newsom’s Harmful Water Policy Track Record
In 2019, his dismissal of key regulator, State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus, a champion of a healthier Bay-Delta built on clean water, signaled a troubling shift in governance. This sent a chill through the remaining Board Members who are charged with protecting our rivers and lakes.
The same year, Newsom vetoed SB 1: the California Environmental, Public Health, and Workers Defense Act. Also known as the Trump Defense Bill, this senate bill would have stymied President Trump’s efforts to roll back environmental protections in California. Without this key legislation, Trump’s lawless approach to water management and endangered species protection wrought havoc on the Bay-Delta, which Newsom did little to correct.
In 2023, an Executive Order by Governor Newsom allowed for critical water quality standards in the San Francisco Bay-Delta to be bypassed, facilitating further diversion of water away from the already beleaguered Delta.
In total, the period extending from 2019 to 2024 has been marked by a consistent preference for Big Ag over the ecological and cultural needs of our rivers, tribes, and communities. Newsom has championed Voluntary Agreements—proposals embraced by water agencies that claim to “produce more fish with less water.” In reality, the deceitful Voluntary Agreements would produce more of the same failed results.
Additional Resources
Watch our insightful conversation with former employee of the State Water Board, Max Gomberg.
Max Gomberg's resignation last year sparked controversy as he publicly criticized Governor Newsom's inaction on climate change and water resilience. Max pointed to the Governor’s dismissal of Water Board President Felicia Marcus after she led the adoption of Phase 1 of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan as a primary reason for leaving the agency.
Regarding his colleagues at the Water Board, Max wrote: “The way some of you have simply rolled over and accepted this has also been difficult to watch.”
During this conversation, Max shares his unique insights into the inner workings of the State Water Board and the challenges he faced during his tenure. He sheds light on the reasons behind his resignation and the difficulties he encountered in advocating for strategies to make California more water resilient.
Experts urge California to avoid pitfalls in water deals in the delta
Los Angeles Times, February 22, 2024
Guest Commentary: Gov. Newsom is accelerating California’s extinction crisis
Maven’s Notebook, January 24, 2024
Opinion: To salmon, Indigenous tribes and conservationists, Newsom says: Let them
eat almonds
Sacramento Bee, January 18, 2024
‘Deep disappointment’: Global climate envoy Newsom is alienating environmentalists at home
Sacramento Bee, November 29, 2023
Newsom’s war with California environmental groups keeps Sacramento County in its cross-hairs
Sacramento News and Review, May 26, 2023
Tunnel Vision: Gov. Newsom’s Ambitious Water Plan Divides Californians
KQED, December 13, 2023
Column: Newsom cares more about almond growers than California’s salmon fishery
Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2023
Editorial: Newsom’s drought order amid wet winter threatens iconic California species
Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2023
Opinion: Gavin Newsom just declared war on San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 2023
Newsom suspends environmental laws to store more Delta water
CalMatters, February 14, 2023
California drought official quits, blasting Newsom for ‘gut wrenching’ inaction
Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2022
Op-Ed: Newsom promises while the delta dies
Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2021
Opinion: Newsom hastening death of West’s most important estuary
San Jose Mercury News, March 5, 2021
Some Environmentalists Are Disappointed With Governor Gavin Newsom
East Bay Express, February 19, 2020
Editorial: Newsom is being played by Big Ag on Delta Water
San Jose Mercury News, December 29, 2019
Newsom bucks his party on water
CalMatters, September 18, 2019
Newsom plans to veto bill that would have blocked Trump’s rollback of endangered species protections
Los Angeles Times, September 14, 2019
Longtime water board chair backed by enviros will lose powerful post, sources say
Politico Pro, February 12, 2019
