The California Water Commission (CWC) will hold its monthly meeting this morning at 9:30. At this meeting (agenda item 9), staff from DWR will provide an overview of DWR’s Vision for the San Joaquin Valley. This report integrates findings from three separate projects to inform near- and long-term strategies for the resiliency of the San Joaquin Valley. Representatives from academia, and agricultural, community-based, and environmental organizations will provide their perspectives on opportunities and challenges with the Vision for the San Joaquin Valley. For meeting location and remote participation, see the public notice for this meeting.

Under Proposition 4, DWR has released the 2026 Draft Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program Guidelines. These draft rules prioritize a 2025 legislative allocation of $3.5 million for small Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and $6.5 million for Underrepresented Communities Technical Assistance, with broader project solicitations expected in early 2027. To provide a program overview, review key guideline components, and accept public comments, DWR will host two public workshops, one on Tuesday, September 1, 11 a.m. to noon (register), and another on Tuesday, September 22, 10 to 11 a.m. (register). The public comment period is open from July 31 to September 30. Please email your comments to FinancialAssistance@water.ca.gov. For more information, see the DWR public notice for these workshops.

California faces a severe invasive species crisis threatening the state’s unique biodiversity, native wildlife, agriculture, recreation, critical water delivery infrastructure, and water supplies. The next California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) Secretary Speaker Series will discuss how State agencies are responding to this crisis through early detection, prevention, and coordinated management. Register now for “Uninvited Guests: Protecting California from Invasive Species.” This informative hour-long webinar begins at noon, Thursday, August 20.

Sustainable Conservation kicks off its “Fall 2026 Voices from the Field” webinar series on Thursday, August 26. This hour-long webinar starts at 1 p.m. and features climate scientist Daniel Swain, PhD. He will explain what El Niño is and what a particularly strong El Niño year could mean for California weather, water, and agriculture. Learn about the science and climate context behind this year’s El Niño (forecasted to be among the strongest on record), and find out about the broader climate variability, long-term warming patterns, and what this all could mean for California communities. Registration for this webinar is open now.

In response to Senate Bill (SB) 254, the California Earthquake Authority and Administrator of the Wildfire Fund have published Enhancing California’s Resiliency to Natural Catastrophes, SB 254 Study Report to examine possible solutions for dealing with the growing risks and costs of natural catastrophes, particularly devastating wildfires. The report warns that California cannot afford to continue treating catastrophic wildfire as an isolated emergency; it needs to redesign its entire catastrophe-risk system that reduces risk beforehand, keeps insurance available, protects utility financial stability, and spreads catastrophic costs more sustainably. The report also presents multiple policy pathways, strategies, and options for improving wildfire mitigation and strengthening insurance availability, while advocating for a “Whole of Society” approach, emphasizing prevention and coordinated government-private-sector action. To learn more about SB 254 and the report, visit the SB 254 Natural Catastrophe Resilincy Study webpage.

The California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN) 2.0 data submission portal is now live. The revised portal site includes new user guides, vocabulary business rules, a chemistry data template, and a guidance document. To help users with CADEN 2.0, the California State Water Quality Control Board is offering a training session at 10 a.m., Thursday, August 20. Email ceden@waterboards.ca.gov to receive the link if you have not already received the meeting appointment. Additional training and working sessions will be announced soon. Please note that all chemistry data submissions are no longer accepted through the CEDEN Data Checker; all chemistry and microbiology data must be submitted to the CEDEN 2.0 portal. More information, including data submission guidance, is provided on the CEDEN 2.0 webpage.