Trump’s California water release draws frustration, ire from lawmakers 

Water released from California’s Lake Kaweah and Lake Success dams on Jan. 31 made its way to the Central Valley and would not have reached Los Angeles, where Trump has falsely blamed California’s water management strategy for recent, devastating fires. 

Instead, the unexpected release was a surprise to those downstream, Papan said. It was also an atypical move for California’s closely-guarded water resources, which are typically meted out carefully based on need. 

“This release did not achieve what it was proclaiming to achieve, and that was to send water to Southern California,” Papan said. “It sent water downstream where people didn’t even expect it … had it been more, we could have dealt with flooding.” 

The move has brought into question federal ownership and operation of California dams, a new point of vulnerability “I don’t think any of us had ever really focused on,” Papan said. 

“That point between a federally operated facility, but the contents belonging either to the state or various water districts, that tension between those two, we’re going to have to look into,” she said. “We’re going to investigate how we can maybe prevent this in the future.” 

While state legislators are still in the beginning stages of exploring what options might be available to them on the issue, Papan pointed to a recent Assembly approval of $50 million to defend the state against Trump policies, $25 million of which is set aside for legal challenges. 

“If we have to get into a legal battle, we certainly can,” she said. “But I’m a legislator, so, from my perspective, I’d like to investigate if there’s anything that can be done legislatively.” 

Improper water management not only harms agriculture and farmers — including many in the Central Valley who are supporters of the president, Papan said — but the state population as a whole. 

“We certainly have 40 million people that need water as well,” she said. “And those 40 million people work in an economy that is tremendously good for this nation.” 

As Democratic state lawmakers grapple with how to deal with an aggressive and sporadic White House, Democrats in the House and Senate are facing similar challenges on a range of topics. 

Southern California Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu, who represents areas of Los Angeles, also called out Trump’s water release decision as entirely unhelpful to his district as well as to farmers in other areas of the state, The Hill reported. 

“This water was saved for the farmers, for the summer season when they needed the water,” The Hill reporter Lieu said. “The president wasted all this water that isn’t even reaching Southern California.”

U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D- South San Francisco, cited shutdowns of the U.S. Agency for International Development, firing of 1,000 Environmental Protection Agency employees and as well as Elon Musk’s newfound involvement in governmental systems. 

“I’ve been hearing from many people who are incredibly upset about President Trump and his billionaire buddy Elon Musk attempting to dismantle the federal government,” he said in a statement. “I’m committed to doing everything in my power to protect the services millions of people rely upon.”