16 June 24 , 2022 VOL . 41 • ISS . 10

ACRAMENTO , CA — Faced by fierce opposition by the Western Washington , D . C . – David Bernhardt , former Interior Secretary under President Donald Trump and a lobbyist for the Westlands Water District and Big Oil who oversaw the creation of an environmentally devastating water plan in California , is back in the news over alleged bribery he engaged in during his tenure as Secretary . Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M . Grijalva ( D-Ariz .) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter ( D-Calif .) today made a criminal referral to the U . S . Department of Justice ( DOJ ) outlining evidence of a likely criminal quid pro quo between Trump administration officials , including former U . S . Department of the Interior ( DOI ) Secretary David Bernhardt , and real estate developer Mike Ingram . The criminal referral is the first one made by the Committee , which uncovered $ 241,000 in coordinated donations from associates of developer Mike Ingram to the Trump Victory Fund and Republican National Committee . “ Ingram is the owner of El Dorado Holdings , which proposed to build the Villages at Vigneto ( Vigneto ), a 28,000-unit housing and commercial development spanning more than 12,000 acres near the endangered San Pedro River in Benson , Arizona ,” according to a press release from Grijalva and Porter . “ Evidence from the Committee ’ s investigation strongly suggests that Ingram and several other Arizona donors gave nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the Trump Victory Fund and the Republican National Committee in exchange for the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service ( FWS ) changing its position about a Clean Water Act permit for Vigneto .” The redacted criminal referral to DOJ is available here : https :// bit . ly / 37AbiIf “ The findings of this investigation show us yet again that the previous administration cast career staff expertise aside while they handed out federal agency decisions to Trump ’ s buddies and big donors on a pay-to-play basis ,” Chair Grijalva said . “ The Villages at Vigneto may not be a household name for many Americans , but to Arizonans , it ’ s been a looming threat to our fragile desert ecosystem for years .

Allowing the development of 28,000 homes , golf courses , resorts , and other commercial buildings to suck the San Pedro River dry during a time of unprecedented drought is nonsensical on its face and agency staff were right to be concerned .” “ It seems Vigneto ’ s developer figured backroom deals with top Trump officials would be a more fruitful avenue for getting his way — it ’ s a shame he wasn ’ t wrong . I strongly urge the Justice Department to take up this investigation and make sure the right people are held accountable for what they ’ ve done and how they ’ ve betrayed the trust of the American people ,” he stated . “ An exchange of money for a specific government action is the clearest form of corruption there is , and Americans — Democrats , Republicans , and Independents — share an understanding that this kind of quid pro quo erodes our democracy ,” Rep . Porter said . “ In this case , our oversight uncovered that the Trump administration ’ s Department of the Interior overruled local career professionals and reversed a longstanding position on environmental review requirements , just weeks after politically connected donors made nearly a quarter of a million dollars ’ worth of contributions benefiting the Trump campaign .” “ This concerning fact pattern demands additional fact finding , at a minimum , so the American people have answers on whether the administration was acting in the public ’ s interest or the interests of the highest bidder . We ’ re calling on the Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation and to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate ,” added Porter . Environmental and fishery groups applauded the House Committee ’ s referral of Bernardt to the Department of Justice on allegations of criminal bribery . “ We said all along that David Bernhardt was too compromised and too corrupt to be a Cabinet secretary ,” said Jennifer Rokala , executive director of the Center for Western Priorities , in a statement . “ This is damning evidence of a straight up pay-for-play favor .” John McManus , the President of the Golden State Salmon Association ( GSSA ), noted in a tweet ,

“ Bernhardt also ordered federal officials to adopt a salmon-killing water delivery plan in CA . Westlands and Resnicks benefited . @ CAgovernor embraces it in VA ’ s ( voluntary agreements ).” The “ Westlands ” that McManus mentions is the Westlands Water District . Located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley , Westlands is the largest agricultural water district in the nation . The district has been a consistent advocate of increased water deliveries to almond , pistachio and fruit growers who farm drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley . They are big contributors to the campaigns of both Republican and Democratic politicians who support massive water exports to corporate agribusiness at great expense to endangered Delta smelt , spring and winter-run Chinook salmon , Central Valley steelhead and green sturgeon . The “ Resnicks ” McManus mentions are Beverly Hills billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick , the owners of the Wonderful Company and the largest tree fruit growers in the world . They have contributed many millions of dollars to candidates from both sides of the political aisle and to proposition campaigns so they can continue selling back public water to the public at a huge profit while promoting legislation and other efforts to weaken laws protecting fish , wildlife and water .

Stockton Groups Support Call for Delta Plan Update by CA Tribes , Environmental Justice Groups

Stockton , CA – A coalition of social , economic , and environmental justice groups have sent a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board in support of a recent petition filed by Stanford Law on behalf of California Tribes and environmental justice groups . The petition asks the State Water Board to update the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay / Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (“ Bay-Delta Plan ”), according to a press statement from Restore the Delta . This is a duty of the board that is now 16 years overdue . The coalition letter

By Dan Bacher

states : “ The State Water Board has failed to conduct a comprehensive review of Bay-Delta water quality standards for sixteen years ; it has failed to increase instream flow requirements to anywhere near the levels that the Board has determined are necessary to protect public trust resources ; and it has prioritized closed-door negotiation of instream flow commitments with water diverters and exporters over consultation with tribes and affected communities and over the participatory and sciencebased update process that the law requires . “ The Petition for Rulemaking is an opportunity for the State Water Board to fulfill its legal duties to responsibly manage Bay-Delta waters and reverse the pattern of putting water exporters before the needs of tribes , Delta communities , and the health of the ecosystem . We respectfully urge the State Water Board to schedule this matter for public hearing and to move forward with the open , participatory , and comprehensive review and update of the Bay-Delta Plan sought in the Petition .”

The Stockton coalition includes :

• Councilmember Kimberly Warmsley , District 6 , City of Stockton

• Dr . Nancy Huante-Tzintzun , Executive Director , Nopal : Community Cultura Activism Educación

• Tama Brisbane Executive Director , With Our Words

• Phillip Merlo , Executive Director , San Joaquin County Historical Museum

• Bobby Bivens , President , NAACP Stockton Chapter

• Ector Olivares , Environmental Justice Program Director , Catholic Charities Diocese of Stockton

• Harold Goldstein , Executive Director , Public Health Advocates

• Taylor Williams , Workforce & Economy Program Manager , Edge Collaborative

• Kenda Templeton , Executive Director , P . U . E . N . T . E . S .

• Mary Elizabeth , M . S ., R . E . H . S . Conservation Chair , Sierra Club , Delta-Sierra Group

• Darryl Rutherford , Executive Director , Reinvent South Stockton Coalition