California Governor declares San Francisco Bay ecosystem emergency!

California Governor Gavin Newsom has 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.