California friends,
Note: ARE YOU PLANNING TO ATTEND? Click here to get all the info you need to know!
This is the last of two public hearings on the Delta boondoggle tunnels project. They are making it an open house so that they don’t have to listen to public comments or respond to the outrage of hundreds of thousands of Californians who oppose the destruction the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas.
Help us transform the open house.
Click to enlarge
Our goal: a video of how large we really are to share with the Secretary Jewell at the Department of the Interior and with President Obama. We will provide you with insightful questions to ask, help you craft your own thoughts, and plan some spirited, yet respectful activities to transform their dull open house into a party to oppose the tunnels. Buses available from Antioch, Discovery Bay, Stockton and Oakland! RSVP to [email protected]. Let’s win this thing once and for all! We need to pack the “public hearings” on the Delta Tunnels!!
Let’s show Governor Brown how many people oppose the Delta tunnels and let’s have fun doing it. And if you drive to us from other parts of the state, please contact our office (209-475-9550) if you need help with accommodations.
Mark your calendars for July 28 Sacramento — that’s where we will be. If you cannot make the July 28 date from 3:00p to 7:00p, there is a second public meeting on July 29 in Walnut Grove (see below). We will have buses on July 28 to turn out people for the public hearing in Sacramento.
Buses will depart from these locations at 1:30 PM sharp EXCEPT in Oakland (Please arrive at least 15-20 minutes before departure time) to the “public hearing” location at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel:
• Stockton: A.G. Spanos Building, 10100 Trinity Parkway, Stockton, CA 95219
• Antioch: Lauritzen Marina, 115 Lauritzen Ln, Oakley, CA 94561
• Discovery Bay: 871 Marina Blvd, Discovery Bay, CA 94505
• Oakland: The Leamington Building, 1814 Franklin St, Oakland, CA 94612 Departure Time: 12:30 PM
Buses will leave Sacramento back to their original bus stops at 5:30 PM. The Oakland bus will leave at 4:30 PM.
To reserve a bus seat for July 28, e-mail [email protected] with your bus depart location, your cell phone number (or best number to reach you), and the number of guests who will be boarding the bus with you (if any).
Stay connected with us for more important details to be determined!!! Starting today and in the upcoming week, look out for alerts from us via e-mail, social media, or our website for helpful information on how you can participate in this public comment process. For a list of top 10 questions for you to help formulate your comments, click here.
SACRAMENTO
Tuesday, July 28, 2015, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm (Please join us from 3:00 to 5:30 PM!!)
Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, Magnolia Room
1230 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
WALNUT GROVE
Wednesday, July 29, 2015, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Jean Harvie Senior and Community Center
14273 River Road, Walnut Grove, CA 95690
Dear Restore the Delta friends,
Here is what you need to know for our "Transform the Open House" event tomorrow, which begins at 3:00 PM until 5:30 PM outside of the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento (1230 J Street).
- Weather in Sacramento will be 102 degrees (Hot with plenty of sunshine)! Make sure you bring a refillable water bottle (we will have refillable water stations from across from the hotel), sunblock, & a hat/umbrella for shade. Wear light-weight and appropriate summer clothing! If you cannot bring these items for yourself, there are small cafes, restaurants, and stores in the area. We will also have sunblock on hand.
- For drivers, street parking up and down J street is available near the hotel and there are two parking garages on both sides of 13th street (to the right and left of the hotel — all very close by). If you're confused, look for our volunteer with a parking direction sign.
- Be prepared to ask tough and thoughtful questions. We recommend that you write out your public comment before speaking in front of our video cameras and going in front of state court reporters.
- As you line up to record your video public comment with us, please make sure you do not block the sidewalks.
- The order to record video public comments begins with 1) Raging Grannies, 2) Elected Officials, and 3) Oakland bus attendees (because their bus will leave by 4:30 PM) — and then everyone else will get a turn.
- Bring tasteful, funny signs and props (optional). You want to represent the Delta with class while showing how ridiculous the tunnels are! Our volunteers will watch your signs when you go into the open house hearing to speak with state court reporters.
Any questions or concerns regarding restrooms or the event, please speak with Restore the Delta staff or the people with the volunteer badges with the green strings!
We will be handing out pins, bumper stickers, our 10 question sheets (10 questions that Delta Tunnel boosters do not want you to ask) and our Stop the Tunnels handout.
Our goal for this event is to send a video of our public comments to the Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell and President Obama — so please make sure you record a public comment with us prior to entering the faux public hearing set up by BDCP agencies inside the Sheraton Hotel.
Let’s win this thing once and for all! We need to pack the “public hearings” on the Delta Tunnels!!
** Find out more about these public hearings and bus departing locations by going to our website here and scrolling down. If you did not make a bus RSVP but need a bus ride to this event, we encourage you to show up at the bus departing locations early to let our bus captains know.
** Our media advisory on the public hearings.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!
So – we now have one “temporary” dam in place in False River. Nearby navigational waters now have significantly increased currents. Many many situations have occurred which jeopardize the safety of boaters around Bethel Island. So this is the “cause” of the effect of changing waterways…those of us who use the water – farmers, millions of boaters, families…oh and fish – will have their safety in and on the waterways in question. I honestly don’t think our politicians realize how much of the economy is spent on recreational opportunities for the Delta waterways…boat, vehicle to pull boat, food, suntan lotion, bait, gasoline, water toys, water skiis, etc….it’s multi-million dollars. Sacramento – let’s use common sense – since the typical desal plant cost $2billion and Betchel Corp (in SF) designed and built in the middle east – we can do the same off the coast. We could have 30 desal plants in place of this boondoggle…. Please hear us… we will remember…..especially when we go to vote…trust me!!!!!
I am new to the restorethedelta.org website. I hope you are not supporting the idea of 30 diesel electricity-generating plants as Karen Mann recommended! Wind and solar, not diesel! Diesel is made from petroleum; it is a thick gasoline that trucks use. I do not want to burn diesel to make electricity.
Oh, I think I know what she meant by desal — desalination? If so, you can ignore my other comment. Bechtel also builds diesel electricity generating plants, so I got confused.
Welcome to our site Lois! This is our solution to the Delta tunnels and California water: https://www.restorethedelta.org/blog/theres-a-better-solution-to-bdcp-delta-tunnels/
We hope you stay engaged with us, thank you!
I would like to ride the bus to Sacramento from Oakland for the hearing on July 28, 2015. May I ask that you reserve one seat for my participation? Thanks a million. Tom Schwertscharf Sierra Club Water Committee. Also willing to help with petition drive to get Twin Tunnels on the ballot for 2016. No Tunnels
The Twin Tunnels are a water grab at a time when Californians should be sharing this precious resource.
I am too old to travel to Stockton to join the bus that will leave from there, but I sure can sign any petitions that you have regarding this issue.
Protect protect protect!!
Protect fish in the Sacramento River and marine life in San Francisco Bay. Do not let central valley farmers to grow high water need plants in the Central Valley. Instead, store water that flows through the northern, mid and southern part of the state–build more facilities (covered) to minimize evaporation loss.
Please keep me updated re the open house. Thanks!
This is a PERIPHERAL CANAL REDUX. A takings in essence; taking water from the north to give to the south, with no compensation of any kind. Brown is from So. Cal. The destruction of the Delta habitat is unforgivable and short sighted. How much of our water will end up going to fracking as big business continues to grab all the resources they can because money is all that matters? Why do we have to fight ignorance and selfishness on a daily basis? Jill North
We will be there at the Walnut Grove date.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand how a governor who prides himself on his environmental awareness and record over four terms, can somehow be wearing blinders when it comes to the matter of the BDCP and it’s tunnels plan. He appears to conveniently ignore the utter destruction this project will have on the largest estuary on the west coast, in order to provide an uninterrupted supply of precious water to his financial supporters in central and southern California for farming thirsty, high value crops in the desert by agribusinesses, destined largely for sale on the international market. Instead of advocating for a sustainable delta ecosystem–while he attempts to maintain a high public profile in his international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions–he publicly ridicules those who point out the fallacy of this entire project. This abdication of responsibility in order to favor unsustainable farming practices over protecting such an important resource, by someone who professes to be so environmentally sensitive, doesn’t make any sense at all. Governor Brown, when will you wake up and smell the toxic runoff? H.Gordon Kemnitz, Sacramento
We will be there at Walnut Grove on 29th…without pistachios or almonds!
We will be at Walnut Grove on the 29th, without pistachios or almonds!
We will attend the Walnut Grove Public Meeting as we live on the Delta.
Are there directions to the Walnut Grove meeting site?
Here is a link. It’s pretty easy to find. Hope to see you there.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/14273+River+Rd,+Walnut+Grove,+CA+95690/@38.2366077,-121.51634,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x809ab1757acf8609:0x6aa2d3d71beb0eb0
What is the difference between a public hearting and an open house? If we can’t speak at an open house what can we do?
I will not be able to go, but maybe to Elk Grove good luck on the open house
I am one of hundreds of homeowners in Discovery Bay. I agree with Karen Mann. Millions of dollars are spent on water recreation yearly. My thoughts were the same as Karen’s about the desalination plants! Our Delta is precious to all of us, whether you live in the area or not! The tunnels will affect millions! Spent the money on Desal plants and leave our Delta alone! Maybe we can ask for the entire Delta to become a historical landmark? So much history here! I wish I could attend.. But I will support our cause! Save the Delta!
Without any water flow there will be a lot of mud and a cess pool of millions of mosquitoes that creates a serious health hazard!!
My husband and I will attend the Walnut Grove Meeting. When we attended the last Walnut Grove meeting the format was sit-and-wait to meet individually with a staff member who did not answer our questions. The standard response was, “That is a good question, I will get back to you.” We left contact information and did not receive the promised answers to our questions.
I hope that the plan this time is to expose this sorry process for what it is. THANKS SO MUCH for your help.