ACTION ALERT: It’s time to call key legislators to help #StopTheTunnels!

We only have days left to stop a corrupt water handout to big agriculture and a blank check on California taxpayers. Please participate in this calling campaign put together by Food and Water Watch to help stop the Delta tunnels.

Three key state legislators – Senator Holly Mitchell,  President pro tempore of the State Senate Toni Atkins, and Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon will decide if California should OK a 50-year blank check water contract.  Call these decision makers today at 1-866-846-4075 and tell them to delay the final hearing until they have been provided basic information on the contract and cost to taxpayers! 

Under state law, DWR can finalize a long-term water contract 60 days after the Joint Legislative Budget Committee holds an informational hearing. The legislature does not have to hold a formal vote. The committee does not have to hold a formal vote. All that is needed to guarantee that DWR can proceed with finalizing the contract is the informational hearing. That is why this hearing must be stopped–it legally enables DWR and tunnels proponents to finalize a contract for the tunnels even though a final cost estimate is not available, nor do we know who will be paying what exact amount of project costs. This is setting Californians up for decades of debt repayments without any water to show for it. We must demand that all the facts of this project be made available before DWR has the power to finalize the tunnels contract.

Governor Brown is pushing to build two massive water tunnels in Northern California to send water primarily to large agribusinesses. The tunnels will destroy the SF Bay-Delta estuary and urban ratepayers and property taxpayers will get the bill. You would pay the $17 billion + bill, but get none of the water.

Supporters of the tunnels do not have the full funding for the multibillion billion project approved yet, but they want the State Legislature to allow them to extend a key water contract for 50-years as a way to stick Californians with the project for good. But the legislature hasn’t even been provided a full copy of proposed contract on the tunnels or a basic financial analysis!

Your call could have an enormous impact. Staffers will be tallying the calls they receive. Call key state legislators making this decision today. Here’s how:

  1. Call 1-866-846-4075
  2. Tell these key decision makers:

Your upcoming decision on the State Water Contract will impact taxpayers and our water throughout the entire State of California.  I urge you to delay the informational hearing scheduled for August 14th.  It is completely irresponsible to hold the informational hearing, when the legislature has not seen the full amendments to the contract, and does not have other basic information like the cost impact to taxpayers.

Direct lines to each officials’ respective Sacramento Office: 

  1. Senator Holly Mitchell: (916) 651-4030
  2. Senator Toni Atkins: (916) 651-4039
  3. Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon: (916) 319-2063

Once they hold this final hearing, they give up ALL legislative oversight on changes to the state water contract that will be in effect for the next 50 years. This contract change provides state water contractors a virtual blank check with no Legislative oversight on future projects like the tunnels.

Take 1 minute to call these state legislators today at 1-866-846-4075 to stop abuse of taxpayers by delaying this hearing until we have basic information!

Thank you,

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla

Restore the Delta

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