FAQ
Get to know who are the politicians representing the Salton Sea area.
Which state and U.S. politicians represent the Salton Sea region?
The northern part of the Salton Sea belongs to California’s 36th congressional district, which is represented by Democrat Raul Ruiz. He has served since Jan. 3, 2013. This is Ruiz's profile on Gov Track. This is his website with the district map.
The southern part of the Salton Sea (majority of the region) belongs to California’s 51st congressional district, which is represented by Democrat Juan Vargas. He has also served since Jan. 3, 2013. This is Vargas' profile on Gov Track. This is his website with the district map.
Have they introduced any bills or voting records?
In 2014, Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51) and Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-36) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to include $1 million in funding for the Salton Sea Research Project in his Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Budget Request (Source: Vargas).
In September of 2019, Rep. Vargas (CA-51) and Rep. Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources requesting a Congressional hearing on the federal government’s responsibility to manage and mitigate the declining water levels and dust exposure at the Salton Sea (Source: Vargas).
In October of 2020, Rep. Vargas (CA-51) released a statement after sending a letter to the Imperial County Board of Supervisors updating them on important legislation on the New River and Salton Sea. The letter also highlights collaboration opportunities to address cross border pollution at a local, state, and federal level (Source: Vargas).
What are they currently doing about the Salton Sea problem?
Most recently, in December of 2020, the House of Representatives passed S. 1811, the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA) which contains a section authored by Rep. Vargas (CA-51) and Rep. Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) to strengthen the federal, state, and local partnership at the Salton Sea.
This provision was also included in an earlier version of WRDA passed in July of 2020. Included in S. 1811 is an authorization for the Army Corps of Engineers to take the first step toward the construction of a northern perimeter lake project at the Salton Sea. The northern perimeter lake project is one of the next major undertakings under the State of California’s Salton Sea Management Program 10-Year Plan.
The WRDA is a biennial bill that authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to investigate and construct water infrastructure projects across the United States. The 2020 WRDA bill authorizes 46 projects for constructions, includes an additional 27 for investigation, and prioritizes protection of environmental justice communities in all Corps projects (Source: Vargas).
Last month, U.S. Reps. Ruiz and Vargas reintroduced a bill that is aimed at cleaning up the New River, a highly polluted waterway originating near Mexicali, Mexico, that flows north, emptying into the Salton Sea. The bill, HR491, would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create an organization to be called the California New River Restoration Program, which would coordinate funding and cleanup projects (Source: Desert Sun).
How would you rate their performance? Why?
It appears that Rep. Vargas and Rep. Ruiz are being pressured more than ever to address the community's concerns about the Salton Sea. However, in the most recent press releases about the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, very little was mentioned about the community concerns. Only the logistics of the authorization were mentioned, which seems to be a red flag.
It doesn't seem that they're handling delegations surrounding the Salton Sea as holistically as they should. A lot of improvement on their parts is absolutely necessary. Community members have been fighting to have their personal concerns heard for many years, and there is rarely mention of that in these new press releases.
For that reason, the representative’s performance can be rated as quite low.