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Support the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission at Tuesday's LADWP Meeting!

Photo from a recent Walk of Resilience and Accountability with the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission and Walking Water. Photo by Lauren Kelly.

The Owens Valley Indian Water Commission is presenting at the upcoming Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Commissioners meeting.

This meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 9th at 10:00am. It will take place in the Board Room on the 15th floor of the John Ferraro Building, at 111 Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA.

Executive Director Teri Red Owl will present on Tribal Land and Water History in Payahuunadü, also known as the Owens Valley. LADWP has extracted water from Payahuunadü to supply Los Angeles for over a century. They refused to negotiate in good faith with the tribes over their water rights, depriving many Payahuunadü tribes of their crucial land and water resources.

This is the first time in years that the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission and its Member Tribes have been invited to speak to all LADWP Commissioners. Even so, LADWP has delayed for months, and now they have only given ten minutes for this presentation on centuries of history.

Let’s take up more time! Let’s flood the public comment period!

Contribute a public comment. Providing comments is how we make our voices heard. Each and every voice makes a difference! We can show LADWP that we care and we are paying attention to how they treat the tribes of Payahuunadü. There are two options:

1. Provide a verbal public comment in person at the meeting. We want to show the LADWP Commissioners that we will show up in overwhelming numbers. You'll submit a speaker card with your name before sitting down, and then you'll have about two minutes to give your comment at the beginning of the meeting. We will be there to answer any questions. Please come in person if you can – we want to flood the public comment period!
2. Send in a written public comment. These comments will be compiled for each Commissioner before the meeting and become part of the public record. Submit your written comment at this webpage. The window for written public comments closes at 6pm on Monday, July 8. Written comments will show the Board that the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission and its Member Tribes have far-reaching support!

Make your comments personal to you. What motivates you to stand with the tribes of Payahuunadü? Why do you care about LADWP’s conduct?

Here are the “asks” that the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission are currently focusing on, which you may want to include:

• Engagement in Meaningful Negotiations:

• • Request LADWP to engage in meaningful negotiations to honor their moral obligations with the Tribes to address and settle past land and water injustices.
•  
  • Advocate for the release of land by LADWP to the Tribes – especially culturally significant land, along with sufficient water resources to meet their sustaining needs.
•  
  • Emphasize the importance of meaningful dialogue between LADWP and the Tribes on issues related to the ecological conditions of the valley. 

•  Collaborative Management Strategy: 

• • Request LADWP to consult with the Tribes to collaboratively develop a management strategy that ensures healthy and sustainable ecological conditions throughout the valley.
•  
  • Reference the Biodiversity, Access to Nature, and Nature-Based Solutions Resolution to highlight LADWP's commitment to ecological sustainability.

•  Access for Addressing Tribal Needs:

• • Request that Tribes be given direct access to full LADWP Board of Commissioners to address their needs, rather than being limited to validating their concerns through public comment sessions.

If you have any questions, please email lauren@friendsoftheinyo.org.

Main Office:

621 W. Line St., Suite 201
Bishop, CA 93514

Satellite Office:

142 E. Bush St.

Lone Pine, CA 93545

Visit us online:

FriendsoftheInyo.org

Write to us:

info@friendsoftheinyo.org

Call us:

(760) 873-6500

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