Among President Donald Trump’s first executive orders issued on Monday was one directing that a plan be implemented to deliver more water from northern California to the central and southern parts of the state.
He argued lack of water was a reason the California wildfires did such damage.
Trump recounted in his Jan. 20 order — titled “Putting People over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California” and directed to the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior Departments — “During my first term, the State of California, at the direction of its Governor [Gavin Newsom], filed a lawsuit to stop my Administration from implementing improvements to California’s water infrastructure. My Administration’s plan would have allowed enormous amounts of water to flow from the snow melt and rainwater in rivers in Northern California to beneficial use in the Central Valley and Southern California.”
“This catastrophic halt was allegedly in protection of the Delta smelt and other species of fish. Today, this enormous water supply flows wastefully into the Pacific Ocean,” he added.
Among President Trump’s initial memos is this one:
“Putting People over Fish: Stopping Radical
Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern
California” pic.twitter.com/1woXv301yj— Benjamin Weingarten (@bhweingarten) January 21, 2025
Politico reported, Newsom filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in 2020, seeking to block the implementation of new federal water rules, which were anticipated to deliver 600,000 acre-feet of water in an average year from the northern part of California to points south in the state.
Newsom argued that the Endangered Species Act applied to salmon and the Delta smelt, and therefore, Trump’s rule change was unlawful.
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Last month, the Biden administration completed a new rule change siding with Newsom.
Trump continued in his Monday executive order writing, “The recent deadly and historically destructive wildfires in Southern California underscore why the State of California needs a reliable water supply and sound vegetation management practices in order to provide water desperately needed there, and why this plan must immediately be reimplemented.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that firefighters seeking to combat the blaze in the exclusive Pacific Palisades neighborhood experienced fire hydrants running out of water.
SHOCK PHOTO: Aerial drone footage reveals the devastation in Pacific Palisades, a once-wealthy area northwest of Santa Monica with a population exceeding 23,000. Some residents estimate that as much as 75% of the neighborhood has been reduced to rubble. pic.twitter.com/dhZXl9PyoN
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 8, 2025
One reason was that a 117 million gallon reservoir in the area was empty, having been down for maintenance since February of last year, according to the Times.
BOMBSHELL REPORT:⚠️ LA Times reveals Pacific Palisades reservoir was EMPTY AND NOT AVAILABLE FOR USE when the firestorm began.. https://t.co/ZuabpRiuFK pic.twitter.com/WFSaFMZh6i
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) January 10, 2025
Trump concluded his order, saying within 90 days of his memorandum, he wants the secretaries of Commerce and the Interior to report to him regarding the progress being made to implement his directive and recommendations for future implementation.
Cal Fire reported that as of Tuesday afternoon, there were two major fires in the Los Angeles area: the Palisades Fire, which was 63 percent contained, and the Eaton Fire, which was 89 percent contained.
So far the fires in southern California have killed 28 people, burned over 40,600 acres, and destroyed approximately 15,800 structures.
During a pre-inauguration day rally in Washington, Trump pledged, “Together, we will rebuild Los Angeles better, more beautiful than ever before.”
President Trump reiterates his commitment to the people of California after devastating wildfires: “Together, we will rebuild Los Angeles better, more beautiful than ever before.” pic.twitter.com/KY1R297H6q
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 19, 2025
The president noted that Los Angeles is slated to host the World Cup soccer tournament in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028, and the former real estate developer said the city will be ready.
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