Environment

As floods endanger the San Joaquin Valley, Newsom cuts funding for floodplains

The governor eliminated $40 million for restoring floodplains, halting projects that help protect vulnerable, disadvantaged communities like Stockton. San Joaquin Valley legislators are pushing back.

by Alastair Bland, CalMatters March 31, 2023March 30, 2023

Homes in Stockton’s Van Buskirk neighborhood sit below the East San Joaquin River Levee. At least 17,000 houses near Van Buskirk Park are at risk of flooding, according to the group Restore the Delta. (CalMatters Photo by Martin do Nascimento)

Last fall, when the state Legislature authorized $40 million for floodplain restoration, Julie Rentner knew just what she would do with it. Her group, River Partners, would spend more than a quarter of the funds buying a 500-acre dairy farm abutting the San Joaquin River in Stanislaus County.

Then millions more would be spent on removing debris, sheds, manure heaps and levees. They would plant native vegetation, and eventually restore the parcel to its natural state as a woodland and floodplain.

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