Rep. John Garamendi Statement on Trump Executive Order to Route Water from Northern CA to Southern CA

As Californian communities are facing devastating wildfires, the Trump Administration is once again spreading misinformation to fuel his own political agenda. I am outraged to hear of Trump’s Executive Order to slash environmental protections for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  

President Trump is continuing his attack on the environment and on California's constitutional right to decide its own water and environmental policies. Trump’s Executive Order is a blatant political ploy that does nothing to implement science-backed methods that would strengthen water supply or support firefighting capabilities.  

As California’s Insurance Commissioner for eight years, I fought to defend and help those whose homes and lives were destroyed by wildfires. Unfortunately, Trump’s executive order does nothing to help them or address the ever-increasing risk of fires in the western U.S. Furthermore, Trump’s executive order may set back four years of hard work and compromise by both state and federal agencies have done to improve science-based water delivery from Northern California to the farms and cities in Southern California.  

Californians deserve leadership that prioritizes solutions over political games. Over four decades I have in various public positions fought to defend the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the vibrant communities who call the Delta home.  I know that there are water solutions that can more than adequately address California’s water needs both in the North and South but as Mark Twain has said, "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over." Unfortunately, Trump’s executive order may start a new round of fighting not a new round of efforts to seek solutions to the challenges we all face as the climate continues to warm.  

We are in a climate crisis, and I call on President Trump to put forth real, actionable steps to address the growing challenges our communities face. An example would be my "Little Sip, Big Gulp: A Water Plan for All of California," which safeguards the Delta and prioritizes water recycling and building new water storage instead of tunnel construction. Now is not the time for political posturing or false promises.  

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