Tell Legislators to Audit DWR! Send a Message Now

In early June, Assemblymember Ransom proposed a thorough audit of the Department of Water Resources for gross overspending of ratepayer and taxpayer money in their decades-long attempt to plan and construct the Delta Tunnel. Due to meticulous water exporter opposition, many members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee chose to abstain from the audit instead of supporting it.

However, there is still a chance for this proposal to be voted on again for reconsideration on Tuesday, July 15. Send a message now to JLAC committee members and tell them to put the audit back on the agenda!

The Department of Water Resources audit is needed because significant funds (hundreds of millions) are owed back to ratepayer water agencies that are now being used for tunnel planning. According to Legislative Analyst Office reports from 2013 and 2015, spending on the Delta tunnel reached nearly $400 million as of 2014. In combination with the $300 million DWR has spent thus far on this project iteration, the total cost approaches $700 million. Currently, DWR is spending ~$1 million per day on planning and design costs for the Delta tunnel project!

Assemblymembers Mike Fong and Sharon Quirk-Silva, and Senators John Laird, Josh Becker, Dave Cortese, and Megan Dahle abstained from voting on the audit. Additionally, Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares voted against the audit altogether.

We only need two “Yes” votes from the senators who abstained for this audit request to pass. Please contact members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee now and tell them to support the audit.

For more information about the audit, please refer to Restore the Delta’s letter to legislators made in collaboration with Assemblymember Ransom’s office here as well as talking points.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to Organizing Manager Molly Culton at molly.culton@sierraclub.org.

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Please Reconsider the Audit Request for the Department of Water Resources

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Dear Members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee- I am a California taxpayer and I urge you to reconsider Assemblymember Ransom's audit request for the Department of Water Resources. DWR has spent close to $1 billion on the planning and permitting for the Delta Conveyance Project, only for 5 to 10 percent of the project design to be completed. An audit is needed to investigate where this money is going and how it is being spent. Multiple water agencies are supplying funding for the Delta tunnel planning and design phase, with plans to potentially fund construction down the road. These funds come directly from ratepayers, who are already seeing significant rate increases- 8.5% increases per year, with increases to property taxes in the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Rates will continue to increase around the state to pay for this exorbitant project, and some cities like San Fernando will pay for water they don’t even receive! MWD alone has already spent close to a billion dollars on this project since the 1990s, with nothing to show for it except islands they bought in the Bay Delta that are depreciating in value. Understanding where taxpayer money is going is crucial to earning trust from the public, and a fair and thorough audit would benefit all parties, including DWR. There should be no reason to try and hide DWR spending decisions from the public, especially given the rampant failure to complete project planning. Please put this audit request back up for reconsideration on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee agenda and vote to approve this audit request. Sincerely,

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