Farm groups and irrigation districts are praising the governor’s proposal of $125 million for restoring critical fish habitat in Central Valley river systems.
“This habitat improvement funding represents an important step toward early implementation of the voluntary agreements,” said Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District.
The budget item came up in an Assembly subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. The California Farm Bureau shared its strong support of the proposal with the chairs of that committee as well as its Senate counterpart. No opposition was raised at the informational hearing.
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Early last year, the administration took other steps in the budget to pursue a collaborative approach to improve habitat and flows for the Delta region. That effort stalled when the Trump administration signed new biological opinions, triggering numerous lawsuits.
