Los Angeles Waterkeeper

How can LA rebuild from the fires—not just to restore what was lost, but to create a stronger, more resilient future? Check out the blog from LA Waterkeeper's Associate Director, Kelly Shannon McNeill, offering a few ideas on what's next for the future of Los Angeles – what's been helpful, what definitely hasn’t, and how LA can lay the foundation for a stronger, more climate-resilient future. https://lnkd.in/gm5CQtnV #climatechange #climateresilience #wildfires #water #lafires

In this article, in which President Trump says he is demanding water exports from Northern to Southern California, and mandated voter ID in California in exchange for federal aid for recent victims of the LA fires, it says, accurately: "State officials and environmental groups have blasted Trump's claims about water management being tied to the firefighting effort as misinformation. Bruce Reznik, executive director of the advocacy group Los Angeles Waterkeeper, issued a statement saying Trump has a "faulty understanding of the state's water system." "Every American should be clear about what the president is doing here: In a time of extreme crisis and tragedy, he is using this emergency to line the pockets of his wealthy benefactors -- in this case, industrial agricultural producers in the San Joaquin Valley -- at the expense of the rest of us," Reznik said. "Water is a big business in California, and it's no surprise that this president is focused on further enriching the rich rather than meeting the needs of everyday Californians." I appreciate when people say it like it is. Go Bruce Reznik.

There’s so much misinformation about the #LAFires. From Joe Rogan repeating Trump’s falsehoods about Delta smelt being to blame for water issues in the Palisades to blaming Mayor Bass for cutting the fire department budget. These are unequivocally false & keep us from addressing the real villain (p.s. it’s Climate Change & LA’s legacy of developing in places it shouldn’t). Water & wildfire management are incredibly complex issues. Water in the west has a sordid history (& there’s plenty of drama in the present) & deserves its own Yellowstone-esque drama series. But the root issue here isn’t water supply - LA has banked record amount of water from the last 2 wet years. But our municipal water infrastructure was not built to defend thousands of acres from wildfires in difficult terrain, amidst power outages and hurricane force winds. A municipal water system has limits to the volume and speed it can deliver water. Pushing water through hundreds to thousands of miles of underground pipes, uphill, requires significant energy. And in the Palisades, we saw 4x+ peak demand for sustained periods of time. As the area lost power, demand outpaced available water pressure. Pumps could not move the water uphill quickly enough to replenish. And every house that burned caused more water leakage, further reducing water pressure. But even without these challenges a ground game would be insufficient. Here in LA we’re in what’s called an urban wildland interface. Homes that caught fire were close to huge swaths of mountainous nature areas. What was needed was air suppression, which was made difficult or impossible by hurricane force winds. So if water supply & politicians aren’t to blame…what is?

Over the past few days, devastating wildfires have swept through the LA region, causing immense damage to ecosystems, homes, and communities. In response, President-elect Trump blamed Governor Newsom’s alleged failure to sign the “water restoration declaration.” However, this claim is entirely fabricated. ? Trump appears to be referencing water imported from Northern California via the Bay-Delta. However, not only does the “water restoration declaration” not exist, but the majority of LA's water does not come from the Delta, but rather, the Owens Valley, local groundwater, and the Colorado River. Trump’s accusation misrepresents the actual complexities of water management in California and distracts from the actual problem at hand. While we at Los Angeles Waterkeeper are heartbroken by the destruction caused by these fires, we must address the administration’s reckless spread of misinformation. ? California’s water policies are undeniably complex and inextricable from our broader environmental challenges, but blaming Newsom alone unnecessarily politicizes and ignores the far deeper and more urgent issue at hand: fossil fuel-driven climate change. These fires are a catastrophic symptom of escalating ecological collapse, and such baseless claims only serve to distract from the urgent need for real, actionable solutions. ? Now more than ever, we must focus on supporting those impacted, advocating for bold climate action, and pushing for investments in climate resilience to protect our communities and ecosystems. ? As fire conditions worsen, we urge our communities to stay informed about the latest updates and evacuation orders, take all necessary precautions to ensure safety, and support one another in this time of crisis. Then, once the immediate danger has passed and the smoke clears, we must channel our collective grief and resilience into action. Only together can we build a future worth living in. https://lnkd.in/gy_ccReT

Los Angeles Waterkeeper has been in the news 100+ times over the last 2 years and that’s largely thanks to Nina and the incredible team at Public Good PR. If you’re in the market for strategic comms and PR support I can’t recommend them enough ??

LA Waterkeeper is seeking a Development & Events Manager to support our grants and event management efforts. Please help us spread the word! https://lnkd.in/gD9mfUjA

For decades, LA Waterkeeper has fought to make Los Angeles a cleaner, healthier place to live. Together, we’ve achieved some incredible victories:?? - A 90% reduction in sewage spills, transforming LA’s waterways into cleaner, safer places for people and wildlife.?? - Securing over $20 billion in water infrastructure investments to prepare our region for an uncertain climate future.?? - Protecting critical habitats along LA’s coastline from illegal fishing and dumping,?safeguarding ecosystems previously devastated by decades of pollution and exploitation.?? The support of our donors fuels every part of this mission, empowering us to pursue bold, innovative solutions to meet the urgent challenges ahead.? Please consider supporting LA Waterkeeper with a donation today. Together, we can build the sustainable, climate-resilient, and equitable water future for Los Angeles that we all deserve.?? https://lnkd.in/gGjziX4k

Defending environmental protections here in LA is about more than water—it’s about ensuring a better future for all.?But right now, everything we’ve fought for is on the line. From the Supreme Court’s relentless rollbacks on critical environmental safeguards, to Trump’s appointment of a new EPA head with ties to big oil, to the most recent threats on 501(c)(3) status for groups fighting for social and environmental justice, the challenges we face are immense—and mounting.?Precisely when we should be making serious strides toward cutting emissions, eliminating pollution, and combatting climate change, we’re being forced to defend the very basics of clean air and clean water.? But here’s the thing: moments like these are exactly when we can’t afford to back down. When Communities Act, We?Win.?Join LA Waterkeeper with a?donation?today.?Together, we can keep LA moving forward—not backward.? https://lnkd.in/gGjziX4k

My team at Los Angeles Waterkeeper is growing! We're seeking candidates with strong project management and institutional fundraising (grant management) skills to join our team as?Development?& Events?Manager. Apply today to join one of the most impactful environmental organizations in the region.

A couple months ago, my colleague at Los Angeles Waterkeeper Benjamin Harris and I had the pleasure of spending a half day touring the LA River with Smithsonian Magazine. The future of the LA River is mired in controversy and opposing views about what’s possible, but there’s also a lot of hope for its future. For years, L.A. has invested millions through the Safe Clean Water Program to transform into a “sponge city” by replacing concrete with more permeable surfaces, LA Waterkeeper believes this is an overlooked part of the equation that combined with strategic interventions upstream, help alleviate flooding risks that enable naturalizing more of the river. “Now is the time to be ambitious and work toward those goals,” says Kelly Shannon McNeill, associate director of Los Angeles Waterkeeper. “We have unprecedented federal funding to invest in green resilient infrastructure, something we haven’t seen since the New Deal.” While the federal funding may be drying up with upcoming changes in the federal government, but I have hope that with the passage of Prop 4, hundreds of millions will be invested in the resilience of the LA River and surrounding communities. https://lnkd.in/g2FY5DkR