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Tracker

Response Center

Real-time analysis of Trump-Vance administration actions, to support legal challenges and provide resources for the pro-democracy community.

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The Trump-Vance Administration is trying to

Punish California by rerouting the state's water

Let others know:

https://democracy2025.org/response-center/sVCuJH

What we know

This memorandum calls for rerouting water from California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state.

Formal Name

Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California

Status
Underway
Formal Identifier

January 20, 2025

Anticipated Impact

This memorandum directs the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Interior to make progress on routing water from Northern California to Central and Southern California, purportedly to fight wildfires, within 90 days. Officials and experts have said water supply is not a problem Los Angeles faces in fighting recent fires, so this order is unlikely to improve California's wildfire management abilities. Additionally, it is likely to harm the already endangered populations of smelt, salmon, and steelhead in the state, causing irrevocable damage to California's biodiversity and critical habitats.

By the Numbers

Partner Analysis
- CA sued on this issue in Feb. 2020: https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-becerra-files-lawsuit-against-trump-administration-failing - Trump has been talking about this issue recently in complaining about how CA does fire management. It's a ploy to weaken Newsom and usurp CA's power. https://www.newsweek.com/truth-behind-trumps-water-restoration-declaration-2012571

People are fighting back

How communities are responding

Democracy 2025 and our partners are ready to counter threats to people's rights, justice, and equality in courtrooms and communities across the country. Learn more about how people and communities are responding to this harmful policy:

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Join the Fight for Democracy

Help us counter unlawful, anti-democratic actions from the Trump-Vance administration and protect people, freedom, and justice.

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