Battle rages over ‘sweetheart deal’ between Trump administration and giant water district

Photo: 2014 photo of the San Luis Canal in Firebaugh. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Critics call it a “sweetheart deal” between the Trump administration and the Central Valley’s largest agricultural water district, and they claim it unfairly lines the pockets of major farm owners while imperiling California salmon and other fish species.

For the last three years, environmentalists, tribal activists and fishing groups have been battling in court to reverse a contract between the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Westlands Water District. Among other provisions, the 2020 agreement grants Westlands permanent access to as much as 1.15 million acre-feet of water per year, more than double the amount of water that Los Angeles’ 3.9 million residents use annually.

Now, Westlands opponents are celebrating a legal victory they say puts them one step closer to invalidating the contract. A state Court of Appeal this week upheld a Fresno County Superior Court decision to deny Westlands’ request that a judge validate the contract.

“The whole thing was a ripoff,” said Adam Keats, a lawyer for California Water Impact Network and other groups. Keats said the deal surfaced during a time when David Bernhardt, who had represented Westlands as a lawyer and lobbyist, was Interior secretary […]

Full article: www.latimes.com