Delta tunnel inches forward

Proponents of a huge water project are claiming victory after the $20 billion tunnel largely cleared a key hurdle last week. But the massive construction — known as the Delta tunnel — is still mired in controversy, and many roadblocks lay ahead, writes CalMatters’ Rachel Becker.

To shore up state water supplies, the Delta tunnel aims to divert more water from Northern California — while bypassing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — and deliver water to roughly 30 million people living mostly in Southern California, as well as farmland. 

Delta communities argue the project will destroy towns and wildlife. State officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, and major water suppliers support the tunnel. Refereeing the fight is a state agency called the Delta Stewardship Council, which considered the opponents’ many challenges and voted to require the Department of Water Resources to address only two of them. 

• Newsom, in a statement: “With this project meeting this milestone, we are closer than ever to seeing this important piece of infrastructure completed..” 

One challenge involves a land dispute in south Sacramento County. In the spring and summer, hundreds of cows owned by Duane Martin Jr., a third-generation cattleman, graze the pastures. The Sacramento Area Sewer District also plans to pipe recycled water onto the fields in the winter to create a seasonal feeding ground for migrating birds.

But state water managers are eyeing the site to build a huge construction complex for the Delta tunnel, complete with a permanent mound of excavated tunnel materials more than a dozen feet tall.

Under the council’s directive, the water resources department has to either resolve this conflict or explain why it’s unable to. If it can solve it to the council’s satisfaction, state water managers would still need to buy or seize the land — a potentiality that Martin Jr. is determined to fight against.

• Martin Jr.: “Nobody seems to care about the people out here on the ground. … I ain’t about to quit. I’m a fighter, and I’m going to stay here and fight for it to the death.” 

Read more.

For the record: Thursday’s newsletter incorrectly stated that Fiona Ma received an endorsement from the California Democratic Party. The party has not endorsed a candidate in this race.

California State University will decide in July whether to renew a contract that gives its campuses unlimited access to an educational version of ChatGPT. Though the Cal State Chancellor’s office says the AI-powered chatbot is beneficial, some faculty and students say it has made learning more difficult, writes Angel Corzo of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network.

Cal State inked the $17 million, 18-month deal in January 2025. The deal was intended to help students learn to use AI for their education and future careers, but individual campuses and classrooms were left responsible for deciding their ChatGPT policies. This led to a confusing rollout of inconsistent rules and practices.

Students at Cal State Bakersfield also began reporting instances of other students using ChatGPT to gain an unfair advantage in class. And at a meeting last October with the Cal State Student Association, student representatives raised separate concerns about the lack of justice they saw for students falsely accused of using AI to cheat.

Meanwhile, Cal State Chancellor’s office pointed to a recent survey that found that 64% of students, faculty and staff said AI has positively affected their learning experience, and that there is “widespread engagement with AI tools,” according to a Cal State spokesperson.

Read more.

If Democrats flip the U.S. House this November, Congress will have the opportunity to block President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and launch investigations into his administration. But the odds of that happening could hinge on California voters. CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller looks into the California congressional races that are drawing the most attention, including two tossup races:

• Central Valley: Democrats hope to pick up Congressional District 22, which has a conservative leaning, mostly Hispanic voting populace. Two Democratic candidates are vying to replace Republican Rep. David Valadao. One is Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains of Bakersfield who has positioned herself as a moderate. The other is progressive Randy Villegas, a political newcomer who is endorsed by the Working Families Party and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

• San Diego: After Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said he was retiring in March, two Democratic candidates began vying for Congressional District 48: San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and Ammar Campa-Najjar, a former aide of President Barack Obama. Besides each another, they must contend with San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond — the moderate Republican whom Issa endorsed and Democratic strategists say is a tough candidate to beat.

Read more.

The California Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday clarifying standards for judges to set bail. The case stems from a 2021 incident involving a homeless man who used credit cards he had found to buy a $7 cheeseburger. The man later spent six months in jail because he could not afford the $75,000 bail a San Mateo Superior Court judge set on him. Read more from CalMatters’ Nigel Duara.