SSMP e-Newsletter — January

SSMP Updates

Working Together for the Salton Sea and Salton Sea Communities: A Message from the New Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy

Hi everyone — as we begin a new year, I want to take a moment to introduce myself and affirm my commitment to continue delivering on SSMP obligations and accelerating the progress of our work at the sea.

My name is Joe Shea, and I was recently appointed as Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy at the California Natural Resources Agency by Governor Newsom. I have been in this role since December of 2024, and previously spent the past seven years working for Governor Newsom – where I saw firsthand the incredible work the SSMP team has led to advance our Salton Sea commitments.

I am both proud of what the SSMP team has accomplished in recent years and clear-eyed about the fact that much work remains. As we continue to expand the impact of our program to protect public health and restore key ecological functions at the sea, I want you to know that our team is working with a keen sense of urgency to improve conditions at the Salton Sea for the benefit of communities who call this region home.

Progress and Commitments:

Environmental Restoration Projects: We continue to deploy funding for dust suppression and aquatic habitat restoration projects to help protect air quality and restore wildlife habitat to meet our commitment of 29,800 total acres around the Sea. These projects address impacts of the shrinking sea and create environmental benefits.
Health and Community Wellbeing: Last year, the SSMP’s parent agency – the California Natural Resources Agency – commissioned the release of the Salton Sea Community Needs Report, which details actions and recommendations for advancing health and community wellbeing for Salton Sea communities. Our team will continue to seek opportunities and partnerships to advance this work.
Strengthening Partnerships and Collaboration: Achieving meaningful progress at the Salton Sea requires both coordination across the organizations working to realize a brighter future for the Salton Sea and a commitment to ongoing outreach and public engagement. We will continue to foster strong partnerships through a robust outreach and engagement schedule in 2025 that we will have more detail on soon.

Looking Forward:

We are focused on making progress on a number of critical workstreams this year:

East Pond 1: As we continue to build out our largest project at the sea, the Species Conservation Habitat project, we aim to complete the expansion of a key component of this project — East Pond 1 — this summer. Filling East Pond 1 is a critical step towards advancing our aquatic habitat projects that suppress dust and create fish habitat.
Vegetation Enhancement: Vegetation enhancement work at the Clubhouse, Tule Wash, and West Bombay Beach sites also continues at a rapid pace. With seeding and planting ongoing for these sites, we expect establishing more vegetation in exposed lakebed as we progress through the year – another critical tool for suppressing dust consistent with our program’s Dust Suppression Action Plan.
Salton Sea Conservancy: This Spring, we also anticipate releasing our proposal to create the Salton Sea Conservancy – the State’s first new conservancy in 15 years. This conservancy was advanced by last year’s Senate Bill 583 and the Climate Bond passed by voters in November. The Salton Sea Conservancy will complement the SSMP’s project delivery efforts by taking on operation and maintenance roles for completed SSMP projects. By assuming this role, the Conservancy stands to ensure SSMP projects deliver benefits for Salton Sea communities and environmental ecosystems long into the future.
Annual Report: In March, we will deliver our Annual Report, which will detail the year-over-year work our team has done to advance our commitments at the sea. We anticipate having multiple engagement opportunities to talk with community members and interested parties about the work we’re doing and hear their input.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment.

I am here to work alongside you to advance our next phase of work at the Salton Sea. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or the rest of the SSMP team with questions or ideas about how we can continue to work together.

Onward,

Governor’s January Budget Recap

This month, Governor Newsom released his January budget proposal, which includes $147.6 million for Salton Sea Restoration projects. This funding was made available by the Climate Bond, which California voters passed in November 2024. If this funding proposal is approved by the Legislature later this year, the SSMP team will put this funding to work immediately to advance our critical, high-priority projects at the sea that deliver public health and environmental benefits.

Engagement Opportunities

Save the Date for the Annual State Water Board Salton Sea Workshop

The State Water Resources Control Board will hold its annual workshop on the status of Phase 1 of the Salton Sea Management Program on May 21, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. – ~6:00 p.m. The one-day workshop will be hosted in a in-person location in Coachella Valley (exact location will be announced at a later time), and a virtual participation option through Zoom. Public comment is welcomed and encouraged.

Spanish interpretation will be provided as well as materials translated into Spanish.

Additional meeting information will be uploaded as it becomes available into the Water Board Salton Sea page at waterboards.ca.gov/saltonsea/.

SSMP Partners in the Community

Growing in Community

In November, The EcoMedia Compass led the Tree for All Planting event in the community of Desert Shores. An enthusiastic group of local volunteers, joined by others that heard about this event on social media and traveling longer distances, came together to plant 36 mesquites, 2 palo verde, and 1 desert willow tree. The site hosted by The EcoMedia Compass had an irrigation system ready to be deployed as trees began to be planted ensuring optimal conditions for plant growth.

The SSMP team joined this community event at the Sea. Public Affairs Officer, Miguel Hernández provided updates on SSMP restoration projects and joined the group to support the tree planting effort. We are thankful for the opportunity to contribute to this important community-driven event.

Miguel Hernández and Tom Sephton digging to plant a new mesquite tree. — The EcoMedia Compass Photo

More Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles in Imperial Valley

Comite Civico del Valle Board members cut the ceremonial ribbon at the unveiling of new EV fast charging stations on Wednesday, Jan. 22 in Brawley. — CCV Photo

As part of the Lithium Valley EV Equity Charger Initiative, Comite Civico Del Valle (CCV) recently celebrated the installation of new electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations at the El Centro Public Library and CCV’s headquarters in Brawley. This initiative is a community owned non-profit model to construct and operate an EV charging station network in the Imperial Valley.

In Brawley, the ceremony’s program included the participation from California Energy Commissioner Noemi Gallardo, local elected officials, UAW Region 6, and staff representatives from the State Assembly and Senate. The event was hosted by Luis Olmedo, CCV’s Executive Director.

Filling the air with vibrant music and joy, Mariachi Acero del Valle made this celebration even more special. Honoring the regional culture and celebratory traditions.

Through this initiative, CCV has installed 16 fast-charging publicly accessible charging stations across the Imperial Valley. CCV has successfully installed other fast charging stations in the City of Calexico and City of Calipatria. The Lithium Valley EV Equity Charger Initiative is partly funded through the California Energy Commission’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project.