Derrick Hines fishes from a pier on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Antioch on May 29, 2024. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters

Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. I’m Wendy Fry. 

This week’s dispatch comes from CalMatters’ water reporter Rachel Becker. Becker reported this week on how the San Francisco Bay-Delta, California’s largest estuary, is facing severe environmental challenges, 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.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating claims that California’s 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. 

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’s 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.

Fishing “is my main job now,” Lee told CalMatters. “Here, a lot of people do the same thing. Not much money.” 

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’s investigation will examine whether the state’s 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.

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  • Community land trusts. California allotted half a billion dollars to help community land trusts across the state. But budget cuts and bureaucracy have land trust advocates back where they were in 2020: seeking state aid to preserve affordable housing.
  • Brutal history. A new law requires California students to learn Native American history in a way that includes the mistreatment and perspectives of tribal members.
  • Wage theft. The state Labor Commissioner sometimes struggles to get back pay to workers when it reaches wage theft settlements. It tries social media, TV and hotlines. But money owed to employees is still sitting in state accounts.
  • Lithium tax. Will poorer communities in Imperial County lose out on funding to repair aging roads, parks and other services because of the controversial way county supervisors have proposed dividing up funds from a lithium tax? 
  • Economic development. Ford announced this past June that it would develop its next generation of small, affordable EVs in Long Beach – creating nearly 500 manufacturing jobs. To ensure that communities historically left out are meaningfully included, Long Beach is developing an Economic Inclusion Action Plan with local partners to better connect diverse communities with new clean energy jobs like these.

Thanks for following our work on the California Divide team. While you’re here, please tell us what kinds of stories you’d love to read. Email us at inequalityinsights@calmatters.org.

Thanks for reading,
Wendy and the California Divide Team

Wendy Fry is an Emmy-winning multimedia investigative journalist who reports on border and immigration issues. Previously she reported on inequality for the CalMatters California Divide team. Based in...