Media Advisory From the Governor’s Office
For immediate release
April 1, 2023
Today Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay estuary and its Central Valley watershed, and vowed to provide relief in the form of increased freshwater flows and other benefits for the endangered species and habitats of the vast area covered by the estuary and watershed, and for the communities that depend on a healthy ecosystem.
“When I extended the drought emergency declaration earlier this year and encouraged regulators to relax environmental and water quality protections to benefit corporate agriculture, I was wrong,” said the governor. “After some painful soul searching, I’ve realized that It’s time to start listening to the scientists and concerned citizens who have been warning for years of the impending collapse of the Bay estuary ecosystem, the potential extinction of numerous unique native fish and wildlife species, the proliferation of toxic algal blooms and other challenges, the impacts on tribes, fisherfolk and other unique cultural communities, and the potential loss of one of California’s greatest natural treasures. As a result, I’m issuing an executive order to immediately implement new, more protective flow requirements that were adopted or proposed for the Central Valley and the Bay estuary in 2018 by the State Water Board. In the final analysis, our environment and the diverse communities that benefit from a healthy ecosystem have to take precedence over POM Wonderful.”
Following the lead of its former mayor, San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission dropped its opposition to new regulations that would require more flow from the Tuolumne River to the Bay estuary to restore salmon and other fish and wildlife species.
“We pride ourselves as a city on our environmental creds, but we’ve been extremely hypocritical when it comes to our own water supply,” said PUC Chair Newsha Ajami. “If we care about a continued supply of healthy, delicious seafood – and as a city of dedicated foodies, we surely do – and if we care about preserving some remnant of our city’s once prosperous fishing industry that helps keep us supplied with seafood, then we need to start at home and make sure that the river we tap for our drinking supply can be restored as the site of a sustainable salmon fishery instead of a place where salmon populations continue to decline.”
The governor also announced his intention to follow up his executive order with future actions to reform the state's antiquated water rights system, retire agricultural lands with drainage problems and promote alternate use of these areas for solar and wind production, and reduce unsustainable exports of water from the Delta by half.
"What's the point of overwhelmingly winning a recall election if I can't do some daring things?" said Newsom.