{"id":443301,"date":"2024-10-11T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=443301"},"modified":"2026-03-27T09:24:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:24:22","slug":"dirty-delta","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_es\/newsletter\/dirty-delta\/","title":{"rendered":"Is California discriminating against people who rely on fish from the \u2018Dirty Delta\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\"\"\/
Derrick Hines fishes from a pier on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Antioch on May 29, 2024. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n

Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. I\u2019m Wendy Fry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s dispatch comes from CalMatters\u2019 water reporter raquel becker<\/a>. Becker reported this week on how the San Francisco Bay-Delta, California\u2019s largest estuary, is facing severe environmental challenges<\/a>, including low water flows, algal blooms, and urban and agricultural runoff. These issues are particularly affecting low-income immigrants from Asian countries and other people of color who rely on fishing in the Bay-Delta for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating claims that California\u2019s management of the Bay-Delta has discriminated against these communities. The allegations are that the State Water Resources Control Board failed to update water quality standards, which determine how much water is diverted to cities and farms, and has excluded tribes and Black, Asian, and Latino residents from the policymaking process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishing is a vital source of food for many low-income residents, such as King Lee, a 72-year-old retired janitor from Hong Kong who fishes almost daily at San Francisco\u2019s Pier 7. For people like Lee, living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, a good catch means a meal shared with family and friends, while a poor catch means relying on rice and vegetables for sustenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Fishing \u201cis my main job now,\u201d Lee told CalMatters. \u201cHere, a lot of people do the same thing. Not much money.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental justice groups and tribes have filed a discrimination complaint, accusing the state water board of allowing the Bay-Delta to deteriorate into an ecological crisis, disproportionately impacting Native tribes and communities of color. The EPA\u2019s investigation will examine whether the state\u2019s actions have violated civil rights laws by failing to protect these vulnerable populations. State water board officials have not commented on the specifics of the investigation but have stated that they are providing the EPA with relevant information to demonstrate compliance with civil rights laws.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n

NO TE LO PIERDAS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Algunas historias pueden requerir una suscripci\u00f3n para leerse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n
\n