Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues New Executive Order To Help Capture More Water From Upcoming Winter Storms

January was a doozy of a month for Governor Gavin Newsom. He came in into 2025 “Trump-Proofing” California as much as possible and making more steps towards a 2028 presidential run. But, as the month ends, he is now one of the main lawmakers people are blaming for the Southern California wildfires and is facing what is likely the strongest recall attempt against him to date. Many analysts have even said that a 2025 effort will be even more successful than the 2021 attempt, which made it all the way to the ballot that year before being voted down.

Newsom is also in a position that no potential presidential candidate wants to be in. Only 46% of Californians approve of the job he is doing compared to 47% disapproving. Even worse, 48% of all Californians at least partially blame Newsom for the destruction caused by the wildfires, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass getting slightly less with 47%. Just about the only things polling higher than him for causing the fires are dry conditions and high winds.

To be fair to Newsom, he has done a lot since the fires first started and has been dropping a lot of red-tape filled construction laws to help rebuild faster. A lot of it has been after the fact, he has been misrepresenting some data, and it doesn’t absolve him from all the measures he didn’t do or ignored before the fires, but he has been giving the effort. He even has a step up on Bass in this regard. At the same time she was attending a cocktail party in Ghana, Newsom was on the ground in Los Angeles helping lead the efforts there.

Yet even with those positives, Newsom still has a lot to answer for. His unpreparedness for the fires have pretty much undone all the goodwill he built up in the early days of the wildfires, with it being a major reason for the growing number of Californians going against him. Same goes for his state water policies. After the fires, it’s been another major reason Californians are putting the responsibility on him. And that is going to haunt him if and when he decides to run for president. For weeks he has been pushing blame to others, and has been grasping for anything positive.

Newsom’s new executive order

Luckily for Newsom, drought prevention is still an issue that wins him some favor. Especially since it likewise helps improve his abysmal water usage record. With atmospheric rivers finally coming California’s way in February, Newsom issued an executive order on Friday that would make it easier to divert and store excess water from incoming winter storms. The new order further helps restore above-ground and groundwater stores, with the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to divert flows to these areas. In a statement on Friday, Newsom specifically mention excess water being routed to the San Luis Reservoir south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

“It is more important than ever that we maximize every opportunity to recharge our groundwater supplies,” explained Newsom. “As we anticipate rain and snow in Northern California, we are also preparing to use every last drop to boost our water supply for communities and farms throughout the state. By storing these stormwaters, we are creating a literal rainy day fund to help us recover from a multi-year drought and prepare for our hotter, drier future.”

Groundwater storage has been one of Newsom’s few success stories in recent years, as state data has shown that groundwater storage has been growing thanks to actions by the California government. Even with the order, Newsom finds himself still on the hot seat in February, with more measures by the Governor being expected on both water issues and wildfire recovery. The latter is especially urgent for Newsom both because of the situation for tens of thousands of Southern California residents still without a home after the fire and because of Republicans in the state legislature leading the charge on wildfire recovery bills.

“There is all that, but keep in mind that Newsom is still battling Trump too. That hasn’t gone away,” added “Dana”, a staffer in the State Capitol building, to the Globe on Friday. “Trump just opened up some dams out here, and Newsom is trying to take control back. In the legislature, we are seeing a ton of wildfire bills and water bills this session. I mean, we have a bunch crop up each year, but Palisades and Eaton really fueled a lot more to be written. Each year tends to have a theme where one issue tends to get the most bills. Housing, homelessness, and COVID-19 have been favorites in the past several years. This year is looking like a wildfire and water type of year.

“The executive order is something Newsom can sign, is something needed urgently, and is something most people will agree with. January plain crushed him, and his presidential chances went way down after everything. This is him ending the month with at least something people agree on.”