Environmental Justice in California State Government

Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) | November 5th, 2003

In California, we have spent over a century and billions of dollars to preserve and protect the environment for current and future generations. The EJ movement asks us to

In California, we have spent over a century and billions of dollars to preserve and protect the environment for current and future generations. The EJ movement asks us to put real people in that environment, particularly the most vulnerable populations such as ethnic minorities, low-income persons, the young and the elderly. In a nutshell, EJ can be said to be the vision and process of creating socially just, sustainable human and ecological systems, where all participate fully in decisions affecting their lives. The Governor’s Office of Planning & Research (OPR) assists the Governor and the Administration in land use planning, research, liaison with local government, small business advocacy, rural policy, and various interagency taskforces. 1999 legislation defined EJ in California law and also established OPR as the coordinating agency in state government for environmental justice (EJ) efforts. The placement of the central EJ program within OPR demonstrates the Legislature’s understanding that EJ efforts require coordination at the highest level of state government. Indeed, California is the only state that has placed its EJ effort within the Chief Executive’s Office. The legislation establishing OPR as the “coordinating agency in state government for environmental justice programs” (California Government Code § 65040.12) directs the OPR director to consult with state agencies and interested members of the public and private sectors in this state, coordinate its efforts and share information regarding EJ programs with federal agencies, and review and evaluate any information from federal agencies that is obtained as a result of their respective regulatory activities. This policy report is intended to provide a brief history of EJ, report on the status of OPR's efforts, and provide an outline of EJ findings, goals and policies for future EJ efforts within state government. Much work remains to ensure that the most vulnerable of Californians, including people of color and low-income persons, are treated with dignity and respect regarding environmental decisions. OPR views its work thus far as a modest, although significant beginning.

Environmental Justice Program Update: 2013-2015

California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) | May 10th, 2016

A report to the Governor and the Legislature on actions taken to implement Public Resources Code Sections 71110-71116 This report details the progress that the Califor

A report to the Governor and the Legislature on actions taken to implement Public Resources Code Sections 71110-71116 This report details the progress that the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and its boards, departments, and office (BDOs) have made from summer 2013 to the end of 2015. By law, CalEPA is required to prepare a report to the Governor and Legislature every three years on the activities it has undertaken in achieving the objectives identified in the Intra-Agency Environmental Justice Strategy. The first section of this report provides updates on significant environmental justice legislation passed in California since 2013. The second section of the report provides updates on CalEnviroScreen, the Environmental Justice Compliance and Enforcement Working Group, and the Environmental Justice Small Grant Program. The third section describes the BDOs’ community partnership with the Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhood (IVAN) tool. Finally, the fourth section provides an account of the environmental justice accomplishments and goals of the Agency’s BDOs.

Environmental Water Account: Need for Legislative Definition and Oversight

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) | January 29th, 2001

We recommend that the Legislature hold oversight hearings to evaluate CALFED's proposal for the Environmental Water Account, implemented to acquire water for endangered s

We recommend that the Legislature hold oversight hearings to evaluate CALFED's proposal for the Environmental Water Account, implemented to acquire water for endangered species protection and recovery in the Bay-Delta region. There are many policy and implementation issues that the Legislature should consider before CALFED proceeds with the new program, including the program's costs, benefits, impacts, governance, and funding. Funding should be governed by the "beneficiary pays" principle.

Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | January 25th, 2007

California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is widely perceived to be in crisis today: its levee system is fragile, many of its native species are declining rapidly, and

California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is widely perceived to be in crisis today: its levee system is fragile, many of its native species are declining rapidly, and it lacks strong governing institutions to deal with its problems. In its current state, the Delta is unsustainable for almost all stakeholders. This report provides a comprehensive, scientifically up-to-date analysis and outlines several alternative management strategies for the Delta.

Escalating Hydrological Extremes and Whiplashes in the Western U.S.: Challenges for Water Management and Frontline Communities

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | May 14th, 2025

Estimates of Natural and Unimpaired Flows for the Central Valley of California: Water Years 1922-2014 (draft)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | March 1st, 2016

Estimating regional water supplies that would have occurred absent human activities is a common practice in water resources planning. In this report, such theor

Estimating regional water supplies that would have occurred absent human activities is a common practice in water resources planning. In this report, such theoretical water supply estimates are referred to as “unimpaired” flow. Since 1980, the Department of Water Resources (Department) has periodically published estimates of Central Valley unimpaired flows. In spite of the Department’s previous attempts to distinguish between natural conditions and its calcula tion of theoretical unimpaired flows, unimpaired flow estimates have frequently been used as a surrogate measure of natural conditions, presumably because natural flow estimates were unavailable. A major objective of this report is to clarify the conceptua l differences between natural and unimpaired flows. In this report, the term “unimpaired” flow is used to describe a theoretically available water supply assuming existing river channel conditions in the absence of (1) storage regulation for water supply a nd hydropower purposes and (2) stream diversions for agricultural and municipal uses. Unimpaired flow estimates are theoretical in that such conditions have not occurred historically. In pristine watersheds which have undergone little land use change, unim paired flow estimates provide a fixed frame of reference to develop relationships between precipitation, runoff, and water supply based on long - term hydrologic records. For many years these relationships were based on the assumption of stationarity, i.e. that the past is a good indicator of the future. However, global warming now requires hydrologists and water resources managers to analyze non-stationary processes, requiring more sophisticated tools and techniques to quantify future water supplies. This report updates and extends the Department’s previous published estimates of unimpaired flows for 24 Central Valley sub-basins and the Delta. Monthly unimpaired flows are presented for water years 1922 - 2014.

Estimating reservoir sedimentation rates at large spatialand temporal scales: A case study of California

Water Resources Research, American Geophysical Union (AGU) | December 25th, 2009

Previous reservoir sedimentation models have ignored two key factors for large spatial and temporal modeling of multiple reservoirs: trapping by upstream dams and decre

Previous reservoir sedimentation models have ignored two key factors for large spatial and temporal modeling of multiple reservoirs: trapping by upstream dams and decreasing sediment trapping as reservoirs fill. We developed a spreadsheet-based model that incorporates both factors. Using California as a case study, we used measured sedimentation rates to estimate sediment yields for distinct geomorphic regions and applied those rates to unmeasured reservoirs by region. Statewide reservoirs have likely filled with 2.1 billion m3 of sediment to date, decreasing total reservoir capacity by 4.5%. About 200 reservoirs have likely lost more than half their initial capacity to sedimentation.

Estuary-wide Data Repository for Delta Environmental Data to Understand a California Estuary Poster (2017)

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 1st, 2017

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) has some of the most pressing water supply and natural resource management issues facing California. The Delta Environmental Da

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) has some of the most pressing water supply and natural resource management issues facing California. The Delta Environmental Data for the Understanding a California Estuary (DEDUCE), a collaborative project building upon the 2014 Environmental Data Summit vision, initiated a forum to integrate disparate data from multiple sources along with legacy data not uploaded to any of the State’s data-sharing systems. DEDUCE collected legacy toxic contaminant data from the Delta according to rigorous business rules, uploaded the data to the expanded estuary-wide data repository, and established design standards to exchange datasets with the California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN), a contributor to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Quality Exchange (WQX). This data integration effort liberated accurate, accessible, and synthesized data for scientists and decision-makers as a foundation to inform management actions with the best available science

Estuary-Wide Data Repository for the Delta Environmental Data to Understand a California Estuary

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 1st, 2017

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) is the backdrop for some of the most pressing water supply and natural resource management issues facing California. To navigate

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) is the backdrop for some of the most pressing water supply and natural resource management issues facing California. To navigate such matters comprehensively with transparency, and rigor, it is important to ensure broad dissemination of data. An Environmental Data Summit held in 2014 created a new era in information management and knowledge discoveries, and shed light on challenges associated with the use of disparate datasets. The Delta Environmental Data for the Understanding a California Estuary (DEDUCE), a collaborative project, builds upon the Data Summit vision and initiated a forum to integrate disparate data from multiple sources and legacy data that are currently not in any of the State’s data sharing systems. DEDUCE expanded the existing infrastructure to house water quality data from the Delta to address management questions by identifying and collecting high priority data according to rigorous business rules and mapping these data to a central system. This important step of harmonizing the data improves its interoperability and increases the access to and exchange of high-quality environmental data. DEDUCE facilitates the upload, aggregation and display of data in tools such as those created under the auspices of the California Water Quality Monitoring Council, including EcoAtlas and My Water Quality Portals, and CD3: Contaminant Data Display and Download tool for accessing and visualizing data comparable to State standards. DEDUCE achieved collecting and uploading the legacy and toxic contaminant data, and established design standards to exchange future datasets from the initial data storage or database to California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN). This data integration effort created accurate, accessible, and synthesized data for scientists and decision-makers as a foundation to inform management actions with the best available science.

Evaluating Collaborative Institutions in Context: The Case of Regional Water Management in Southern California

Sage Journals | January 1st, 2014

Regional collaborative institutions are seen as tools for improving collaboration and for reducing the inefficiency of fragmented management and planning. However, recent

Regional collaborative institutions are seen as tools for improving collaboration and for reducing the inefficiency of fragmented management and planning. However, recent research has shown that the ability of new regional institutions to achieve these aims is contingent upon their relationship to the existing institutional landscape. This paper uses network analyses of six newly created Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) subregions in southern California to examine how their introduction intersects existing water management systems and whether the patterns of interaction in water planning have changed as a result. The results further our understanding of collaborative governance and regionalism by showing that the ability of regional institutions to facilitate new interactions can vary widely across a given institutional landscape. Further, while IRWM has helped to strengthen the water management network in southern California, it has not replaced existing watershed planning efforts. Interviews with water managers reveal there is support for IRWM but it is still too early to evaluate its effectiveness. Further research should explore the drivers and consequences of heterogeneity in IRWM and whether the incentives for participation are sufficient.