Stop The Tunnels: One of the Most Important Actions for 2017

Update:

Thanks to your help we reached 4,235 signatures in 19 days. Of these signatures, about 5% of these were out of state and the other 4,000 signatures represented a vast amount of Californian counties, from north towards Oregon and south towards San Diego. We recognize that our work would not be possible without contributions from people like you. Can you make a mid-year donation to keep us strong through the end of the year?.

 
Dear Supporters,
 
The hardest part of our job is encouraging you, our members, to respond to government processes that induce weariness in even the hardiest public policy geeks in California. But that is what the Brown Administration, Metropolitan Water District, Kern County Water Agency, and Westlands are counting on: that if approvals for the Delta tunnels are buried in plans, amendments, and long tedious documents, that means they can push the project through without public opposition. We know that we’ve asked a lot of you, our members, in terms of attending government meetings to speak out against the tunnels. However, the Delta Stewardship Council meetings on the Delta Plan amendments (see dates below) in Sacramento are among the most important meetings for you to attend in 2017. We hope that you can join us.
 
Mark your calendars:
Previous meeting: April 28 @ 9 a.m., Park Tower Plaza, 980 Ninth Street, Sacramento, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Previous meeting: May 25 @ 12 p.m., Grand Sheraton at the Magnolia Room, 1230 J. Street, Sacramento
 
The next meeting where a vote will take place: Thursday, June 22 @ 9 a.m., Holiday Inn, 300 J St, Sacramento. Be there!
 
Why is this action so important?
Need background? Check out this news article in The Record

The council is revising portions of its Delta Plan, a broad road map for the Delta for the duration of this century. Among other changes, they are looking to revise the portion addressing how water should be conveyed from the Delta to cities and farms from the Bay Area to San Diego.

We need you to voice your opposition to the Delta Plan amendments to the Council because in this document: the Delta tunnels come first for promoting “improved” conveyance over consideration of other options. The Delta Plan amendments fail to consider other options for improving conveyance, like fixing existing fish screens, and continue the Council’s pattern and practice of ignoring the portion of the Delta Reform Act that calls for reduced reliance on the Delta, as well as protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem. Read our press release and letter to the Delta Stewardship Council on the Delta Plan amendments.
 
In addition, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has made it clear to their own board that they need this amendment to become part of the Delta Plan so that they can move forward with evaluating and approving their financial contribution toward the Delta tunnels. Therefore, your attendance is more important than ever.
 
How should you prepare your comment?
Your comments should focus on the impacts the Delta Tunnels will have on your home, farm, business, town or city and why the project cannot meet the co-equal goal of restoring and protecting the Delta. The co-equal goals are to provide a more reliable water supply for California AND protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem. The role of the Delta Stewardship Council is to advance both of the co-equal goals. Also, it is worth pointing out that the Delta Tunnels cannot improve water supply reliability because there are no longer any guarantees of water deliveries as part of the project — water contractors will be going through the same water availability processes in the future with the State Water Resources Control Board to fill the tunnels as they do now.
 
Please be ready to attend. Feel free to use our comment letter to the Delta Stewardship Council as a helpful tool for your own public comment. Limit your comment to 3 minutes in length, about 390 words. Bring your friends and family. The Delta Stewardship Council is supposed to be the steward of the Delta. We need you remind them of this duty.
 
Other actions you can take:
Want to make an extra impact?
* ASAP: Read and sign our petition opposing the Delta Plan amendments today, before the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) votes on June 22, 2017.
*
Click here to send a tweet telling the Council to stop favoring the Delta Tunnels — you may personalize this tweet.
* Post a comment on their Facebook page regarding this Delta Plan amendment. Remember to be courteous.
* Make a phone call to voice your comments to Eric Alvarez, the Delta Stewardship Public Information Officer, at (916) 445-5383 and/or Cassandra Enos-Nobrida, Delta Plan head staff, at (916) 445-0258.
 
While we understand some people cannot take time off work, it is very important to be at this meeting. Right now, bodies count. If you absolutely cannot make it, you can send an electronic e-mail by following these instructions:

1) Title your e-mail, “Public Comments for Delta Plan Amendment”
2) IMPORTANT: Include in your comments a note to have your comments read aloud at the Board meeting
3) Address the e-mail to the Clerk of the Board, Pat Rogers, Pat.Rogers@deltacouncil.ca.gov and to the Delta Plan head staff, Cassandra Enos-Nobrida, Cassandra.Enos@deltacouncil.ca.gov.

 
Thank you.
 
Yours in service,
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla
 
 

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