Trump Expected to Visit LA - After Threatening to Cut Off Aid Unless Delta Exports Increase

President Donald Trump is expected to visit the areas ravaged by the ongoing climate change-induced wildfires plaguing Los Angeles County today,, but he has threatened to withhold aid for California wildfires if state officials don’t increase water exports to agribusiness and oil corporations in the San Joaquin Valley from already over allocated public water resources.  

"I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down," he told Sean Hannity on Fox News, repeating agribusiness talking points  — and showing his complete lack of the slightest knowledge about California water resources.

Food & Water Watch California Director Nicole Ghio released the following statement in response:

“It is unconscionable that Trump and the GOP are politicizing these devastating wildfires by attempting to make relief contingent on endorsing their billionaire agenda. If Trump is truly interested in supporting Angelinos, he should start by accepting that climate change is real instead of rolling back our country’s climate policies and doubling down on his support of the fossil fuel industry, whose rampant pollution helps to create the perfect conditions for these megadisasters in the first place. Further, even while the fires are still burning, Trump’s recently released California water executive order aims to redirect more resources to his agribusiness backers, worsening the climate crisis for everyday Californians.”

On Monday, President Trump issued an executive order designed to divert more of California’s water resources over to his big agribusiness and oil industry backers, further threatening already imperiled Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations while supercharging the climate crisis that is hammering Californians.   

I break down Trump’s four major falsehoods about California water here: chico.newsreview.com/...

The title of the order, “Putting People over Fish:  Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California,” suggests “a water scarcity that does not exist,” according to Save California Salmon.

“The new Trump administration is picking up where it left off four years ago,” said Regina Chichizola of Save California Salmon.”This new memorandum continues a pattern of prioritizing industrial agriculture above the needs of urban water users. Under the last Trump presidency, his policies led to a 50%-90% decrease in salmon populations and serious pollution issues in California’s largest watersheds. California’s waterways are still feeling the impacts of these policies. The commercial and recreational salmon harvest has been shut down for the last two years. This has been devastating to Northern California economies,”

“The notion that water flowing into the Pacific Ocean is ‘wasteful’ ignores the livelihoods of Tribal and rural communities in Northern California. Salmon are more than simply wildlife. For Tribes, salmon are central to cultural identity, food security, and Traditional Knowledge. Salmon survival is tied to our health and the health of our rivers,” argued Josa Talley of Save California Salmon.

Trump’s push for increased fossil fuel production in a country that is already the biggest crude oil producer on the planet will only drive more climate disasters like LA’s ongoing wildfires.  

Food & Water Watch has estimated that climate-polluting oil and gas operators in California alone devoured 3 billion gallons of freshwater between 2018 and 2021.  

And there are a lot of oil wells in California. California is currently home to 101,000 actively producing, idle, and newly permitted wells that have not yet become operational, according to data compiled by the FracTracker Alliance. Out of that number, 26,000 are located within the 3,200-foot health protective zone where millions of people live.  

Zero California permits to drill conventional oil and gas wells were approved in the third quarter of 2024, but 33 out of 34 permits were issued to drill wells using extreme enhanced oil recovery techniques (EOR) in the notorious Cymric Oilfield in Kern County, Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance reported in October.

The 34 approvals by CalGEM, the state’s oil and gas regulator, represent a rise of 580% over the third quarter of 2023. Sentinel Peak Resources California received the 33 approvals, the groups said in a press statement.

Those approvals were among the 930 oil drilling permits approved in the first nine months of the year that include 69 new well permits and 861 oil well rework permits.

Since Governor Gavin Newson came to office in January 2019, a total of 16,719 total oil and gas drilling permits of all types have been approved by state regulators.   

On Monday, Governor Newsom issued a statement on the inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance indicating his intention to work with the Trump and Vance administration “where our shared principles are aligned.”

“As our nation observes the peaceful transfer of power, we are reminded of the enduring principles that underpin our democracy: finding common ground and striving toward shared goals,” stated Newsom.

“In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in America’s history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect — values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action. I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild,” Newson said.

“Where our shared principles are aligned, my administration stands ready to work with the Trump-Vance administration to deliver solutions and serve the nearly 40 million Californians we jointly represent,” he concluded.

It will be very interesting to see what happens with Trump’s expected visit to California today. Hopefully, there will be big protests against Trump’s water truth-denying and climate change-denying policies today.