"The history between the DWP and tribes in the Owens Valley has been characterized by controversy and strife over water rights and land use.
In the early 1900s, Los Angeles agents quietly bought up ranch lands and water rights in the region for an aqueduct to meet the growing demands of the metropolis 200 miles to the south.
The city diverted so much water from the Owens River via the aqueduct that the 110-square-mile Owens Lake dried up, severely altering the landscape of what had been a kingdom of irrigated villages and plentiful game for Paiute tribes since time immemorial."
~ Louis Sahagún
"The man Bass nominated to replace Ruiz — George McGraw — was confirmed by the City Council on June 20. McGraw describes himself as 'a leading queer voice in social entrepreneurship, environmental justice, and water,' and is the founder and chief executive of DigDeep, a nonprofit that works to bring clean water to communities that lack access."
~ Louis Sahagún
"'We are in shock that Cynthia, the first Native American to serve on that commission, was replaced by a white man when she was not even a full year into her four-year term,' said Teri Red Owl, executive director of the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission. 'For Native Americans, the manner in which Ruiz was replaced was a slap in the face.'”
~ Louis Sahagún
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