Californians for Water Security Applauds Governor Newsom’s Trailer Bill to Advance Delta Conveyance Project
May 14, 2025
SACRAMENTO – Californians for Water Security (CWS) applauds Governor Newsom for the introduction of a trailer bill announced today to streamline approval processes and remove unnecessary delays to keep the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) moving forward to secure California’s water future. These proposals will help address the administrative processes that add costs and delays to the project while also balancing the environmental protections to help protect the Delta’s habitats and communities. The Governor’s proposal is expected to expedite the project while also delivering millions of dollars in savings by eliminating costly delays.
“Modernizing California’s water supply is not only vital to our economy but also long overdue,” said Jennifer Barrera, President & CEO, California Chamber of Commerce “We appreciate the Governor’s proposal to both remove barriers to innovation while protecting the environment and meeting both regulatory and operational requirements.”
“This legislation is exactly the kind of forward-thinking leadership California needs to secure its water future,” said Jon Switalski, Executive Director of Rebuild SoCal Partnership. “For too long, critical infrastructure projects like the Delta Conveyance Project have been stalled by red tape and frivolous delay tactics. This bill takes decisive, measured steps to modernize the water infrastructure millions of Californians rely on every day.”
With California facing increasingly severe climate swings, from record-breaking droughts to devastating floods, the state’s water infrastructure must be updated to match the urgency of the moment. Governor Newsom’s trailer bill recognizes this reality and offers a balanced path forward: preserving environmental protections while cutting down on duplicative processes that have delayed action for years.
The Delta Conveyance Project will ensure the State Water Project can continue operating as California’s backbone water infrastructure network, providing a reliable supply of affordable, high-quality water for homes, farms, and businesses, and is the most efficient and cost-effective way to protect California’s most critical water supply.
“As climate change casts a shadow of uncertainty, this question of affordability balanced with reliability looms squarely over the shoulders of disadvantaged communities who suffer a historic and disproportionate share of economic, health, and environmental burdens,” said Rick Callender, President, California Hawaii State Conference NAACP. “By moving the Delta Conveyance Project forward, California is making a commitment to protecting the State Water Project and the communities that rely on this system for their water. We applaud the Governor for moving this project forward.”
“The science is clear: the ability of the State Water Project to reliably deliver water is declining, while demand continues to rise,” said Charley Wilson, Executive Director, Southern California Water Coalition. “Southern California stands to lose up to 10% of our water supply from the State Water Project if we don’t act now. The Delta Conveyance Project is our best path to offsetting those losses.”
“California has established itself as a worldwide leader due in large part to its investments in massive infrastructure projects,” said Joe Cruz, Executive Director of the California State Council of Laborers. “Today’s announcement by Governor Newsom is a commitment to the working people of California – that we will make it easier to build projects that maintain California’s place as a global leader while also creating thousands of well-paying union jobs.”
At a time when California’s most vital resources are under increasing threat from climate change, we need smart, science-driven governance that cuts through unnecessary delays and delivers results. No piece of infrastructure is more fundamental to California’s future than the State Water Project, and this bill represents a critical step in protecting it.
“We won’t let California’s future be held hostage by delay and dysfunction,” Jim Wunderman, President & CEO, Bay Area Council said. “We are innovators, builders, and problem-solvers. We know it’s possible to protect our valuable resources while removing barriers to progress. This legislation reflects our values and our urgency. We must act today to protect the water supply of tomorrow.”
“Los Angeles County BizFed has been a long-time champion of efforts to streamline permitting and approvals for major infrastructure projects,” said Tracy Hernandez, Founding CEO of Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed.) “By limiting the amount and scope of frivolous lawsuits project opponents can file to slow down progress on the project, the Governor’s proposal will go a long way towards reducing the barriers to building crucial infrastructure projects like the DCP that our region’s homes and businesses rely upon.”
“Orange County has established itself as a leader in water innovation by pioneering groundwater management and recycling efforts to maximize the utilization of our local sources of water. But those achievements will not alone succeed in meeting the needs and security of our region,” said Jeffrey Ball, President & CEO of Orange County Business Council. “The State Water Project provides a vital supply of water that supplements these local sources. Today’s announcement to help speed up the construction of the Delta Conveyance Project is a massive benefit to helping guarantee water security in our region.”
The most recent Delta Conveyance Project benefit-cost analysis shows the very real cost of doing nothing. Failing to move forward on the DCP poses significant challenges to future water supply reliability, including:
- More frequent and larger water shortages
- More mandatory restrictions
- Higher water rates due to more expensive alternative supplies
- More land fallowing
- Higher food prices
- Loss of jobs
It’s time for us to protect our most important resources and deliver on the Delta Conveyance Project to secure California’s water future for generations to come.
About Californians for Water Security
CWS is a growing coalition of more than 12,000 California citizens and more than 80 organizations representing business leaders, labor, family farmers, local governments, water experts, infrastructure groups, taxpayer associations, and others who support the plan to fix California’s broken water distribution system. The coalition is waging an active advertising, grassroots lobbying, social media and public advocacy campaign to support this important project to fix our aging water distribution infrastructure and improve water reliability and security throughout the state.
For more information on Californians for Water Security, visit: www.watersecurityca.com