Newsom Hopes for Collaboration With Trump on Northern California Water Project

COLUSA, Calif.—Gov. Gavin Newsom brought attention to a water infrastructure project in Northern California that he said the incoming Trump administration could get behind, during the fourth stop of his Jobs First tour on Dec. 10.

Long a priority for the governor, the Sites Reservoir is a $4 billion project to capture enough water for 3 million households’ annual usage during rainy months and store it for later in the year.

From research and development to infrastructure and education, he said a positive relationship between federal and state governments can prove mutually beneficial and spur innovation and scientific discoveries.

“We continue to have an open hand, not a closed fist, across the spectrum of issues,” Newsom told The Epoch Times. “I hope to continue to reach out and find common ground, but my gosh, none of us are naive.”

He said some of Trump’s actions during his first term were attempts to “roll back progress,” and he noted a need to be prepared for policy decisions that could impact the state.

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The incoming president’s team said he is prioritizing policies to strengthen national interests and boost the economy.

“President Trump will work quickly to fix and restore an economy that puts American workers first by re-shoring American jobs, lowering inflation, raising real wages, lowering taxes, cutting regulations, and unshackling American energy,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump–Vance transition spokesperson, told The Epoch Times by email.

After Trump won reelection, Newsom called a special session of the Legislature to prepare for litigation, with lawmakers ultimately setting aside $25 million.

California filed more than 120 lawsuits against the first Trump administration.

Nearly 63 percent of voters in Colusa County supported Trump this year, an increase of more than 5 percent from 2020.

Since Election Day, Newsom has visited four areas that trend more conservative—Colusa, Fresno, and Kern counties, and the border in San Diego County—on his jobs tour.

Members of the California Jobs First Capital Region collaborative joined the governor to present their plan for the eight-county Capital Region—including Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties.

Newsom said that excessive litigation and NIMBYism, among other things, are causing the state to miss out on opportunities.

“We’ve got to get out of our own … way,” he said. “The world we invented is competing against us. We’re consumed by process, and we’re paralyzed by process.”

He called on the state to adapt its approach to economic development by focusing on region-specific solutions.

Leaders in the state’s 13 regions are all delivering plans over the coming months to support job growth.

The state’s economic blueprint and $120 million in grants are slated for release early next year to bolster industries—including biotechnology, manufacturing, and natural resources.

By targeting strategic trade sectors, each job created leads to up to three more jobs in the region, according to calculations from the governor’s office.

With water for agriculture a primary issue in the Central Valley, the state has a goal of expanding storage capacity by 4 million acre-feet, holding water both above and below ground.

Developing water storage and maintaining infrastructure will bring broad support for the local economy while creating a sustainable future for those who use water originating in the area, according to proponents of the jobs plan.

Another water project championed by the governor—known as the Delta Conveyance Project—would create a tunnel to move water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta throughout the state from the Bay Area to Southern California.