Community Meetings Set for This Week

Salton Sea Management Program Update – August 31, 2021

Also: SSMP Welcomes New Team Members

Join the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) for a community meeting this afternoon or September 2 in the evening.

The meetings provide an opportunity to share experiences, meet new members of the SSMP team, hear more about the process to study water importation concepts and learn more about the long-range planning process the state is launching.

The August 31 meeting begins at 2 p.m. The September 2 meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Attendees will be able to access the meetings through these links at Zoom, Facebook Live (Spanish only), or call in by telephone (888-278-0296, access code 596019). For more information, visit www.saltonsea.ca.gov or email cnra-saltonsea@resources.ca.gov.

SSMP Welcomes New Team Members

To continue delivering critical projects around the Salton Sea, the SSMP is adding two new members to the team.

James Newcomb

James Newcomb will serve as an Assistant Deputy Director and lead the Salton Sea team at the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and work with leadership across state government beginning Sept. 1.

Newcomb is an environmental program manager at DWR. He has worked primarily in habitat restoration. He led the development of the Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage Implementation plan and has been critical in implementing new infrastructure in the Yolo Bypass to create improved habitat for salmon and sturgeon.

Miguel Hernández

Starting Sept. 1, life-long Imperial Valley resident Miguel Hernández will be the SSMP’s new public affairs officer at the California Natural Resources Agency.

Hernández will be stationed in Imperial County and will lead the SSMP’s local outreach and communications efforts.

Hernández previously worked as the communications coordinator at Comité Cívico del Valle, a community-based organization that works on environmental justice throughout California. In this capacity, he served as the community chair for the Imperial Valley and East Coachella Valley Environmental Justice Enforcement Task Force, oversaw and coordinated the Salton Sea Community Outreach, Education, and Engagement program, and led advocacy efforts for environmental justice issues affecting disadvantaged communities in California.

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