… In a Jan. 8 post on Truth Social, as wildfires raged through greater Los Angeles, then President-elect Donald Trump said California Gov. Gavin Newsom kept water from flowing into Southern California to ensure protections for “an essentially worthless fish called a smelt,” adding that there was “no water for fire hydrants.” These claims have been repeatedly debunked by scientists and water experts, which my colleagues Wyatt Myskow and Martha Pskowski covered. Nonetheless, later in January, Trump issued two executive actions aimed at changing water management in California in a way that violates environmental laws, experts say.

Other water policy news:

• Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.): California Delta smelt controversy ranges from lawsuits to Trump executive orders
• CalMatters: Newsom OK’s $25 million for California to sue Trump administration
• The Fresno Bee: Opinion: California’s complicated water system is getting attention
• Milk Producers Council: Blog: President Trump is the great disrupter and California water management needs disruption
• The Daily Journal (San Mateo, Calif.): Trump’s California water release draws frustration, ire from lawmakers 
• The Hill (Washington, D.C.): California Democrat slams Trump water release order as harmful ‘PR stunt’
• The National Resources Committee Democrats: News release: Ranking Member Huffman slams Trump’s executive order to upend California water system, once again conditioning aid