California’s wild and scenic river champions are at it again: Senator Alex Padilla and Representatives Jared Huffman, Salud Carbajal, and Judy Chu have reintroduced legislation to protect nearly 700 miles of rivers and hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands. Though these bills have been introduced before, their return signals unwavering determination to secure lasting protections for California’s rivers.

For decades, the Kern River has run dry through Bakersfield due to upstream diversions, but a historic lawsuit to restore flows has reached the California Supreme Court and could determine whether long-standing legal protections for rivers will be upheld. This critical case could help bring life back to the Kern River and set a powerful precedent for river protection across California.

The federal government is charging full-speed into a fossil-fueled future—reviving dam projects, gutting environmental protections, and turning independent agencies like FERC into puppets of political agendas. From Sites Reservoir to the McCloud River, a growing movement of Tribes and environmental advocates is pushing back to defend clean water, native species, and democratic oversight.

Bill AB-43, passed the California Assembly 57–3 and aims to permanently protect national wild and scenic rivers in California by removing the 2025 sunset clause on a key state law. This would ensure California can continue safeguarding these rivers from potential federal rollbacks on protections.

We did it—a dangerous attempt to fast-track the Delta Tunnel and gut environmental protections has been stopped… for now. Your calls and advocacy made a real difference—and lawmakers heard you.

This month’s Federal Watch tracks shifting tides in Congress, endangered species protections, and federal agency staffing—revealing how decisions in D.C. ripple across California’s rivers. From fish protections on the chopping block, to subsidies for deadbeat dams, dive into the latest threats and under-the-radar developments.

The breathtaking dismantling of the federal government continues. The federal government is in chaos. Staff are being pushed to resign. Whole program areas that had been authorized by Congress are quietly slipping under the waves or being rendered ineffective. The nation that we thought we lived in is disappearing without notice or the consent of its citizens.