For fiscal years 2017-2020, the Delta Independent Science Board had $2.0 million in funding to pay the Delta Independent Science Board members through contracts, about $670,000 a year. Almost all of this funding was lost In FY 2020-21, when the compensation for the Board members was changed to a $100 per diem salary.
Due to the state’s COVID budget cuts, the Delta Stewardship Council lost $646,000 in general fund funding for FY 2020-21. The cuts seem likely to have been allocated to the Delta Independent Science Board at some point. We could not find further information, because the Delta Stewardship Council staff stopped making any budget reports at the Delta Stewardship Council meetings in FY 2020-21.
Below is the detail for the Delta Stewardship Council from the Governor’s proposed budget for FY 2021-22. The Delta Independent Science Board and Delta Science Program (Water Code section 85280) are funded through general fund funding. One big pot of money is appropriated by the legislature for all purposes of the Delta Reform Act.
Below is the detail from the July 2020 budget report to the Delta Stewardship Council. This was the last budget report in the Delta Stewardship Council meeting packets.
Due to the state’s budget surplus, the Delta Stewardship Council does have an increase of $875,000 in their general fund funding for FY 2021-22, but it’s unclear how much will be used to restore funding for the Delta Independent Science Board,
If you would like to see the Delta Stewardship Council restore funding for the Delta Independent Science Board, and start reporting their budget again, you can email the Council at engage@deltacouncil.ca.gov.
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