John Garamendi was raised on his family’s ranch in Mokelumne Hill, California. He received his B.A. in business from UC Berkeley where he was a Wheeler Scholar, second team All America offensive guard, two-time all Pacific Coast Conference team, and the 1964 West Coast heavy weight wrestling champion. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife Patti served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia before returning to the U.S and settling down in Walnut Grove, where they raised six children. They now have 14 grandchildren and continue to raise Angus cattle on their ranch and grow pears in their Delta orchard in Walnut Grove.
I’ve lived in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta community of Walnut Grove for more than three decades, and I understand that sound water management is required to make Northern California prosperous. I have been a leading opponent of the twin tunnel boondoggle, formally known as California WaterFix, which has the potential to destroy the Delta. I am also strongly opposed to rolling back state and federal environmental laws in order to pump more water to the San-Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
I believe it is possible for California to solve its water problems, but the Delta and Northern California communities must be at the table, and it will take a comprehensive, multifaceted approach. We must prioritize storage like Sites Reservoir, conservation, recycling, levee improvements, and habitat restoration. Any water plan without these elements is incomplete at best. You can view my Water Plan for All of California here.