FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2025
CONTACTS:
Barry Nelson, Golden State Salmon Association, barry@westernwaterstrategies.com, 510-340-1685
Gary Bobker, Friends of the River, gbobker@friendsoftheriver.org, 415-272-6616
Dr. Jon Rosenfield, San Francisco Baykeeper, jon@baykeeper.org, 510-684-4757
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta, barbara@restorethedelta.org, 209-479-2053
Lack of Transparency and Disregard for Public Safety – Bay-Delta Orgs Respond to Newsom-Trump CA Fire Relief and Water Issues Meeting
Barry Nelson, Policy Representative for Golden State Salmon Association
“We call on Governor Newsom to be transparent with the public about discussions with President Trump about California water. In the past few weeks, President Trump has called for salmon protections to be eliminated and Governor Newsom has called for state agencies to compile a list of salmon protections that could be suspended to maximize water diversions to big San Joaquin Valley farming operations. Those protections are the only things preventing our salmon runs from going extinct and causing further economic catastrophe to coastal communities and fishing families. California salmon runs have crashed because of President Trump’s and Governor Newsom’s water policies. Southern California already has record water in storage. Fishermen, fishing related businesses, and communities have a right to know what decisions are being made about our future and the tens of thousands of California jobs in the salmon industry.”
Gary Bobker, Program Director for Friends of the River
“The last thing California needs, after the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles and the Trump Administration’s actions to override state control of our water system, is uncertainty about who’s in charge. The safety of Californians is at risk as federal water managers begin making dangerous and foolish decisions about releasing water without adequate notice for downstream communities or without any connection to fighting wildfires, and the potential drastic reduction in federal agency staff could only make this bad situation worse. We all need Governor Newsom to lay out a clear path for ensuring that California’s water supplies are managed to protect Californians’ values of public safety, water quality and protection for natural resources.”
Jon Rosenfield, Ph.D., Science Director for San Francisco Baykeeper
“President Trump’s Executive Orders exploited human pain and suffering in Los Angeles to attack California’s environment and communities that depend on clean water flowing into San Francisco Bay. Rather than following President Trump’s radical assault on California’s laws and people, we need our elected officials to defend our clean water, fisheries, and cultural heritage. The silence from the Newsom administration is deafening.”