SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom is putting his stamp on the powerful agency overseeing California’s biggest water fights — and racing to get his pet projects across the finish line before his term ends.
What happened: Jared Blumenfeld, Newsom’s former CalEPA secretary, took his seat for the first time Tuesday on the five-member State Water Resources Control Board days after Newsom appointed him to replace Laurel Firestone, the environmental justice advocate who stepped down last month to “pursue other opportunities” in water.
Why it matters: Blumenfeld’s arrival gives Newsom a deeply experienced ally on the board right as the agency is preparing to make final decisions on the governor’s water priorities. These include a long-delayed master plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Bay Delta, as well as water right permits for the Sites Reservoir and the Delta Conveyance Project, the controversial 45-mile long tunnel to divert more water from Northern to Southern California.
Together, those decisions will help determine how much water California can store and distribute to both cities and powerful agricultural interests in the Central Valley, and how much must stay in rivers to support ecosystems and fish.
