L.A. Biz How many jobs will this tunnel project create? Jun 23, 2014, 12:17pm PDT By Scott Bridges California’s drought could translate into jobs, but just how many jobs? That’s a question at the heart of Gov. Jerry Brown’s $25-billion plan to transport more water from Northern to Southern California. The plan calls for two massive tunnels to be built underneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The tunnels would deliver water to Los Angeles, among other cities, and Central Valley farmers. “In the short, medium and long range, the Bay-Delta Conservation would provide economic benefits to California,” Nancy Vogel, spokeswoman for the Department of Water Resources told the Los Angeles Times. A study by the Brown administration, authored by UC [...]

For Immediate Release: Friday, June 13, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: Restore the Delta Tunnel Opponents File FPPC Complaint Against BDCP Architect Jerry Meral for Illegal Lobbying Sacramento, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels to drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today announced they filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) charging former Brown Administration Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) point man, Jerry Meral, with illegal lobbying. Meral appears to be violating the law prohibiting former administration officials from lobbying within one year and one day of leaving office. Since January 2014, Meral has [...]

Listen to audio from our teleconference with experts criticizing the flawed BDCP Process and Feinstein’s water bill here: Link to download or listen in separate browser. Relevant document: DWR Outline for Oversight of Design and Construction of tunnels Article of Interest East Bay Express: The Water Tunnel Boondoggle by Joaquin Palomino 5/13/14 Excerpt: “The potential impacts of BDCP on Byron are representative of what the plan would do to the Delta region as a whole. The tunnels would unearth a roughly 40-mile long, 150-foot deep fissure that could cut off groundwater to scores of people. Tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland would be converted to habitat, potentially devastating the area’s economy. Highways would be completely rearranged and waterways [...]

Unlikely Partnerships Spring From California Water Crisis NPR All Things Considered By Kirk Siegler Listen or read transcript of radio news story here. Excerpt from story: “We’ve created in California an unsustainable water system where those who have political power and money really can put pressure on the government to deliver the water that they feel that they are entitled to,” says Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of the group Restore the Delta.

Yesterday, Restore the Delta submitted joint comments on Assemblymember Anthony Rendon’s water bond (AB1331). Click here to read our joint comment letter on AB1331.

Delta smelt: 9th Circuit decision protects people as much as fish By Trip Van Noppen and Barbara Barrigan-Parilla Special to the Mercury News Californians who care about a sustainable water future got a big court victory in March that upholds protections for a much-maligned little animal: the delta smelt. The ruling handed down by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals keeps in place science-based guidelines for managing water flows through the Delta at levels that protect the imperiled fish and help to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem. This victory isn’t really about the fish, however. The smelt are an indicator species, a canary in the coal mine whose health illustrates the overall well-being of the Bay Delta. The tiny [...]

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: Thursday, March 27, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Restore the Delta Water Policy Expert to Tell Delta Protection Commission: Gov. Brown’s Tunnels Would “Force Byron residents to Move,” “Permanently Degrade Groundwater” Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s plan to build Peripheral Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries, announced today that it will detail permanent, significant and unavoidable negative impacts on the Delta region at a Delta Protection Commission meeting Thursday evening in Stockton. “The Brown Administration admits the tunnels would have ’52 Significant and Unavoidable Adverse Impacts’ on the Delta region, including permanently degraded groundwater quality, long-term reduction [...]

Media Advisory for Monday, March 17, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Delta Tunnel Opponent to Address Sacramento Environmental Council: How the Tunnels Would Harm Sacramento & Delta Sacramento, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries, will address a forum in Sacramento on Monday, March 17, to outline the damage the governor’s project would do to the Sacramento area and the San Francisco/San Joaquin Bay delta and estuary. “The governor proposes to sacrifice salmon and other fisheries, sustainable farming and wise water management to mainly benefit the top 1% of corporate agribusiness [...]

Two articles of interest regarding Westlands, the drought and the tunnels–articles that Restore the Delta helped work on.California’s Thirsty Almonds How the water-intensive crop is helping drive the governor’s $25 billion plan to ship water to the desert. By Joaquin Palomino @JoaquinPalomino East Bay Express 2/5/14…But many environmentalists have little sympathy for the Westlands almond growers. They note that if farmers hadn’t zealously planted water-intensive crops in the desert, they wouldn’t be in such a tight bind. “One of my associates referred to it as the ‘Westlands death march,'” said Tom Stokely, a longtime water activist and member of the environmental group California Water Impact Network. “While Westlands is pursuing water and growing crops, in the long run it can’t [...]