Delta Happenings
View in browser | Subscribe
In this issue
Events
NEWS
Delta Agency Meetings
EVENTS
 |
|
Upcoming events in the Delta include:
- A history tour in Locke on Jan. 17
- A Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area tour Jan. 18
- A Contra Costa County Historical Society commemoration of the Anza Expedition 250th Anniversary on Jan. 24
- The 19th Annual Galt Winter Bird Festival on Feb. 7.
|
NEWS
Revenue Bonds for Delta Conveyance Project Barred by Appellate Court
The Department of Water Resources cannot issue bonds to fund the Delta Conveyance Project, the California Court of Appeals ruled on Dec. 31, affirming a judge's ruling.
Here is a roundup of articles on the topic:
The Delta Protection Commission's actions with respect to the Delta Conveyance Project, including its Nov. 17 appeal of the project's Certification of Consistency with the Delta Plan, are available on its Levees and Water webpage.
DPC Members Named Chairs, Vice Chair, of their Boards of Supervisors
 Delta Protection Commission Chair Diane Burgis became Chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors this week. Learn more.
DPC member Sonny Dhaliwal became Chair of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors this week, and DPC Alternate Steven Ding its Vice Chair. Learn more (PDF). Dhaliwal is the first Sikh-American to serve on the board, and as its chair.
Jobs with Delta Agencies: Commission Clerk and Administration Manager
DPC: Recruiting Commission Clerk
The Delta Protection Commission is hiring an Administrative Analyst II to serve as Commission Clerk and become an integral member of our finance and admin team. If you believe in government transparency, love rural places, and want to feel good about the work you do, this job’s for you.
Learn more and apply
Delta Conservancy: Administration Manager
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy is seeking an experienced professional with strong administrative and supervisory expertise to oversee, guide, and manage the Conservancy’s Administration Division. The division includes budgeting, accounting, grants and contracts administration, procurement, business services, travel, facilities, information technology, communications, auditing, and human resources.
Learn more and apply.
|
Veteran DPC Staffer Virginia Gardiner Retires
 L-R: Commissioner Patrick Hume, Senior Environmental Planner Rachel Vanderwerff, Executive Director Amanda Bohl, Finance and Administration Manager Heather McClure, retired Program Manager Virginia Gardiner, Program Manager Blake Roberts, Commissioner Tom Slater, and Commissioner Oscar Villegas
The Delta Protection Commission bade farewell this month to Program Manager Virginia Gardiner, who retired at the end of December after eight years of service with the DPC.
Gardiner's accomplishments at the Commission include the Visitor Preference Survey, Economic Sustainability Plan Recreation update, Great California Delta Trail Master Plan, and the Socioeconomic Indicators update.
Prior to joining the DPC, her career included service at State Parks, the Coastal Commission, and the Delta Stewardship Council, as well as a decade of consulting. She worked on projects from the coast to the Central Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, including planning and executing wetland and dune restoration projects, recreational trails, construction of infrastructure including park facilities and oil and gas pipelines, and responding to oil and chemical spills and flooding.
"I'm proud most of all to culminate my career working with an outstanding team at the DPC, advocating for the Delta's unique and diverse values," she said.
Caltrans to Begin Work on Old River Bridge on SR-4
 Caltrans will soon begin a bridge maintenance and preservation project that will make necessary upgrades and repairs of the Old River Bridge on State Route 4, located at the San Joaquin/Contra Costa county line, east of Discovery Bay.
This project includes a new polyester concrete overlay to the bridge deck surface, new guardrail systems located at the approaches, and painting the steel structure with weather-resistant paint and materials to increase the reliability and serviceability of this 100-year-old swing span bridge.
2026 Delta Leadership Program Kicks Off
 Back row L-R: Erin Mullen Brosnan, Rachel Vanderwerff, Jason Culberston, Jack Johnson, Alli Hauger, Nicole Cuellar-Nelson, Bret Bartholomew. Front row L-R: Bhajleen Khalsa, Lisa Kirchhoff, Sabrina Snyder, Gustavo Cruz, Jenni Shaw, Emily Groth, Ashley Castaneda, Minh Nguyen
Fifteen Delta leaders arrived at the Nature Conservancy in Sacramento last week to kickstart their entry into the Delta Leadership Program.
A joint effort of the Delta Protection Commission and Delta Leadership Foundation, the program aims to identify potential and emerging leaders in the Delta from an assortment of backgrounds. Over the span of five seminars, participants learn leadership skills and tools to improve and foster community within the Delta.
California Trails: Take the Survey
California is launching a statewide effort to improve access to recreational trails, like hiking, biking, and horseback riding routes This effort is part of a larger plan to make the outdoors more inclusive and accessible, support climate resilience, honor tribal priorities, and help meet California’s “30x30” goal of protecting 30% of land and coastal water by 2030.
The state wants to hear from community members, advocates, and trail enthusiasts and professionals to find out what's missing, what's working, what could be better when it comes to trails in your region.
Your input will help shape future trail investments funded by the voter-approved Proposition 4 Climate Bond to build trail projects as well as guide updates to the California Recreational Trails Plan.
Delta Conservancy's Wigginton Named to Delta Stewardship Council Position
Rachel Wigginton has been appointed Special Assistant for Planning and Science at the Delta Stewardship Council. She replaces Amanda Bohl, who now heads the Delta Protection Commission.
Wigginton has been Senior Environmental Scientist at Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy since 2020. She was Coastal Scientist at San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission from 2019 to 2020.
Wigginton earned a doctorate in ecology from University of California, Davis; a master's degree in biology from California State University, Long Beach; and a bachelor's degree in biology from Western Kentucky University.
Comment on the Draft 2026 Delta Science Plan
Comments are due by Jan. 20 on the third iteration of the Delta Stewardship Council's Delta Science Plan. The plan outlines the vision, principles, and approaches that guide science in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Comments may be submitted through this online survey, emailed to collaborativescience@deltacouncil.ca.gov, or mailed to the following address to be considered: Delta Stewardship Council - Delta Science Program, Collaborative Science and Peer Review Unit, 715 P Street, 15-300, Sacramento, CA 95814.
DELTA AGENCY MEETINGS
The 2026 schedule for the Delta Protection Commission's public bodies is here. The schedule includes meeting packets as they become available, and approved minutes.
Jan. 22: Delta Stewardship Council meets at 9:30 a.m. in Sacramento. The agenda is posted here.
Jan. 28: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy meets at 9 a.m. in West Sacramento. The agenda will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
Jan. 28-30: State Water Resources Control Board meets to consider draft updates to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed. The notice is posted here (PDF).
Feb. 10: Delta Protection Advisory Committee meets. The agenda will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
March 19: Delta Protection Commission meets at 5 p.m. in Sacramento. The agenda will posted here at least 10 days in advance.
March 25: Delta NHA Advisory Committee meets. The agenda will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
Not sure which Delta agency is which? This fact sheet (PDF) explains the missions and roles of the Delta Protection Commission, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, and the Delta Stewardship Council.
Send us your Delta news, events, or photos:
submit@delta.ca.gov
The DPC is on social media:
Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Threads | Instagram
Delta Protection Commission
2101 Stone Blvd Suite 200, West Sacramento, CA 95691
Unsubscribe or manage subscriptions | Help
|
