The Dust Bowl was one of the most difficult times in American history. Farmers had made some mistakes with their techniques, including believing that “rain follows the plow” and not using dry land techniques which led to an increase in soil erosion. When severe drought hit, plus severe winds, the dust storms caused mass crop failures. Cadillac Desert (Chapter 5) describes winds so forceful that jackrabbits were blinded, which made them one of the only sources of food for Okies (people from Oklahoma). The Okies then migrated to California’s San Joaquin Valley, where in one generation, the Dust Bowl migrants used up three generations’ worth (300ft) of groundwater. At the time, salmon were so plentiful that they were a Great Depression food staple, but in the rush to build dams, they dwindled. Not learning from their mistakes, farmers rushed to politicians to beg them for more water. Almost a century later, Big Ag to our detriment is still pressuring politicians for more water with Gov. Newsom and POTUS all ears. Water by the way which is heavily subsidized.
The San Joaquin Valley was once a rich estuary full of diverse species from the sacred salmon to grey wolves and the now-extinct California grizzly bear. Almost two centuries of diverting freshwater flows for agriculture has changed the landscape and caused many species to go extinct. Environmental Justice (EJ) communities and Tribes relying on the remaining estuary – the Bay Delta, lead the fight to protect what is left.
California governors have tried to implement versions of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) since the 1960’s but have failed due to its unpopularity, harm to the environment and the surrounding EJ communities. Governor Newsom has tried and continues to try to fast track the project that voters disapprove of. He has been more successful pushing through its sister project, Sites Reservoir, by distancing the Sites Reservoir Project from the DCP. (See our past article on Sites and its connection to the DCP.)
The Governor has also been most instrumental in dictating to the State Water Board to grant his wishes on a series of regulations called the Voluntary Agreements which have now been greenwashed into the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program that they are working into the science-backed regulations of the Bay Delta Plan.
Newsom has already promoted more imported water supply projects than environmentalists say is sustainable, thanks to pressure from Big AG billionaire donors. It is striking that Newsom – who is Governor of one of the most progressive states in the union – and Trump – who is one of the most conservative presidents in U.S. history and who believes in junk science – have virtually identical opinions on how California should manage its water.
On January 20, Trump’s first executive order (EO) on California water vaguely demanded more water be released, with an update to his staff in 90 days. His 2019 Biological Opinions, combined with Newsom’s over allocations have led to the damage that has mandated a ban on salmon fishing in 2023, 2024 and in 2025 the season is still closed with another decision coming in April on whether it should be reopened. The economic impact is real and it has a downward effect. The closure of the Sacramento River Fall Chinook (SRFC) and Klamath River Fall Chinook (KRFC) commercial and recreational ocean fisheries led to an estimated loss of over $45 million, or at least that was the amount of federal disaster aid requested by Newsom, so do we have any idea of the true cost to livelihoods lost? Why aren’t more of us speaking out? These aren’t just financial losses to fishermen, it is a loss to everyone including, transportation, vendors, consumers and it is a loss to those who fish to feed their families and last but not forgotten it is a cultural and historical loss to the Delta Tribes.
The Newsom/Trump bromance continues even though Trump opened dams unexpectedly on January 31st in his attempt at a show of strength, but that water is two days’ worth of irrigation in summer and won’t be there when it’s needed later. Some feared surprise flooding with the sudden and unexpected release of water. It did not reach LA, where he erroneously thought the system is connected to the fires, instead the 2 billion gallons instead lowered Central Valley reservoirs, demonstrating his lack of knowledge of a complex system. POTUS then cut funding for a keystone species, the Delta smelt, which has not been found in the Delta in surveys since 2017.
As the climate becomes less predictable and as populations shift, we need to be smarter about managing water- more stormwater capture, groundwater recharge, local storage, repairs to infrastructure, water recycling, local projects, and less reliance on imported water. Newsom later visited Trump in DC and said that he wants to “work together in a crisis.”
Most recently, Newsom has begun to show us his true colors:
- He has declared an order to suspend provisions of state environmental laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Coastal Act which he said are “stymying efforts to create fuel breaks, remove trees and other vegetation, and conduct prescribed fires to reduce the risk of catastrophic blazes.”
- Newsom issued his own executive order to “maximize” the capture of water during winter storms which mirrors Trump’s
- He is now targeting Trans communities, arguably our most vulnerable population. He told Charlie Kirk, leader of conservative group Turning Point USA, that Kamala Harris lost her bid for president in part because of her support for providing taxpayer-funded gender transition-related medical care for detained immigrants and federal prisoners.
His change in positions don’t stop at just environmental degradation. The Human Rights Campaign responded with “Singling out trans kids to score political points is never going to help someone pay their rent, keep Medicaid or get a job, but it will make it seem like Gov. Newsom believes our civil rights are up for grabs.”
Americans are facing frightening authoritarian regime conditions, with a new merciless executive order nearly every day. Bold actions are needed. We favor bold, truthful leadership, especially when we protect the vulnerable and speak for those without a voice. We want transparency and we would stand with Governor Newsom, were he to stand up to the Bully in Chief.
Caty Wagner is the Sierra Club CA Managing Organizer for Southern California