Delta tunnel inches ahead

Backers of a massive water project are claiming victory after the $20 billion tunnel largely cleared a key hurdle last week. But the massive construction – known as the Delta Tunnel – is still mired in controversy and many roadblocks lay aheadwrites Rachel Becker of CalMatters.

To bolster the state’s water supply, the Delta Tunnel aims to divert more water from Northern California — while bypassing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — and deliver water to an estimated 30 million people living mostly in Southern California as well as farmland.

Delta communities say the project will destroy towns and wildlife. State officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, and major water suppliers support the tunnel. Judging the bout is a state agency called the Delta Stewardship Council, which considered the many challenges of opponents and voted to require the Department of Water Resources to address just two of them.

• Newsom, in a statement: “With this project reaching this milestone, we are closer than ever to seeing this important piece of infrastructure completed.”

One challenge involves a land dispute in southern Sacramento County. In the spring and summer, hundreds of cows owned by Dwayne Martin Jr., a third-generation cattleman, graze the pastures. The Sacramento Area Sewer District also plans to run recycled water into the fields during the winter to create a seasonal feeding ground for migratory birds.

But state water managers are eyeing the site to build a massive construction complex for the Delta Tunnel, complete with a permanent mound of excavated tunneling material more than a dozen feet high.

According to the council’s directive, the department of water resources must either resolve this conflict or explain why it cannot. If he can resolve it to the council’s satisfaction, state water managers would still have to buy or seize the land — a potential Martin Jr. is determined to fight.

• Martin Jr.: “No one seems to care about the people here on earth. … I’m not going to give up. I’m a fighter and I’m going to stay here and fight for this to the death.”

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For the record: Thursday Bulletin incorrectly stated that Fiona Ma received an endorsement from the California Democratic Party. The party has not endorsed a candidate in this race.

California State University will decide in July whether to renew a contract that gives its campuses unlimited access to an educational version of ChatGPT. Although the California state chancellor’s office says the AI-based chatbot is useful, some faculty and students say there are make learning more difficultwrites CalMatters’ Angel Corzo College Journalism Network.

Cal State closed the deal for $17 million over 18 months in January 2025. The deal was intended to help students learn to use AI for their education and future careers, but individual campuses and classrooms were left responsible for setting their ChatGPT policies. This has led to a confusing introduction of inconsistent rules and practices.

Students at Cal State Bakersfield also began reporting instances of other students using ChatGPT to gain an unfair advantage in class. And at a meeting last October with the California State Student Association, student representatives expressed various concerns about the lack of justice they saw for students falsely accused of using AI to cheat.

Meanwhile, the California State Chancellor’s Office indicated to a recent study which found that 64 percent of students, faculty and staff say AI has positively impacted their learning and that there is “widespread engagement with AI tools,” according to a Cal State spokesperson.

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If Democrats flip the US House of Representatives this November, Congress will have the ability to block President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and launch an investigation into his administration. But the chances of that happening may depend on California voters. CalMatters’ Maya S. Miller looks at the California congressional races that are drawing the most attention, including two hurling events:

• Central Valley: Democrats hope to take the 22nd Congressional District, which has a conservative-leaning, predominantly Hispanic population. Two Democratic candidates are vying to replace Republican Rep. David Valadao. One is an MP Jasmeet Bains of Bakersfield, who positions herself as a moderate. The other is progressive Randy Villegas, a political newcomer who is backed by the Working Families Party and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

• San Diego: After Republican Darrell Issa said he was retiring in March, two Democratic candidates entered the race for the 48th Congressional District: San Diego City Councilwoman Marnie Von Wilpert and Amar Campa-Najjar, a former aide to President Barack Obama. In addition to each other, they have to contend with San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond — the moderate Republican whom Issa has supported and whom Democratic strategists say is a tough candidate to beat.

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The California Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday that clarifies the standards for judges to set bail. The case stems from a 2021 incident involving a homeless man who used credit cards he found to buy $7 cheeseburger. The man later spent six months in jail because he could not afford the $75,000 bail set by a San Mateo Superior Court judge. Read more by Nigel Duara of CalMatters.