Central Valley water authorities claim that the Trump administration has ordered buyouts and firings at the federal agency that manages California’s water infrastructure, potentially endangering the agency’s capacity to provide water and control dams.

According to two Bureau of Reclamation employees with knowledge of the matter who were not permitted to talk publicly, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, ordered the job layoffs.

According to one employee, the bureau, which has over 1,000 employees, will lay off 100 of them in California due to buyouts and terminations, which will eliminate almost 10% of its regional staff. However, the bureau has been directed to create plans to reduce its workforce by 40%, and more significant labor reductions are planned.

Karl Stock, the bureau’s regional director for the California-Great Basin Region, is among the staff members who have submitted applications for “deferred resignation” buyouts. Under the initiative, which Musk is spearheading, those accepting the buyouts are scheduled to depart in March and receive payment through September.

The program has been contested in court by unions that represent federal employees.

According to internal records obtained by The Times, among the jobs being cut are engineers, maintenance mechanics, and specialists in fish biology.

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According to one Bureau of Reclamation employee, “it’s going to have a significant impact on our operations.”

A request for comment from the Department of Government Efficiency was not answered. Politico had previously reported on the workforce reductions.

Leaders of California water districts are concerned about the agency’s job losses. In a letter sent to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting Reclamation Commissioner David Palumbo on February 25, managers of 14 Central Valley water agencies cautioned that such significant cuts at the Bureau of Reclamation would “compromise its ability to fulfill its mission of delivering water and power.”

Municipal water suppliers like Contra Costa Water District and agricultural suppliers like Glenn Colusa Irrigation District are among the water organizations that have reported concerns. The Central Valley Project, a federally run network of over 20 dams and reservoirs that spans more than 400 miles and supplies water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farms and villages in the San Joaquin Valley, provides water to the agencies.

The Bureau of Reclamation “remains focused on providing essential water and hydropower to the American public across the 17 western states,” according to Sandy Day, the agency’s chief of public affairs.

Overnight into early Thursday morning, a winter storm that is expected to be the largest of the season so far started to dump precipitation over Southern California. By daylight, some regions had received half an inch of rain, and residents in the Palisades and Eaton fire burn scar areas were ordered to evacuate.

Meteorologists stated in an early Thursday forecast update that the intensity of the rainfall, not its total amount, is the cause for concern.

In a 3 a.m. update, forecasters stated that “rainfall rates are the main concern as there is a higher probability of rainfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour due to the increased chance of convective cells, which would very likely cause substantial debris flows if they occurred over a recent burn area.”

According to Ariel Cohen of the National Weather Service, during a morning news conference, a powerful weather system is predicted to pass through between 4 and 9 p.m., bringing with it the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall and major debris flows in regions affected by fire.

According to Cohen, “we’re not going to be sure about significant debris flows occurring until possibly right before they occur,” therefore we should already be considering the “what if” situations.

In anticipation of the storm, officials issued multiple evacuation warnings for people in recent burn zones owing to the possibility of mudslides or debris flows, which resulted in the NWS issuing a flash flood watch for most of Los Angeles County and Orange County until Thursday night.

According to Caltrans, the Pacific Coast Highway was closed to the public in both directions between Chautauqua Blvd. and Carbon Beach Terrace until further notice because of the possibility of mudslides and debris flows. Only critical staff had access on Thursday.

According to Bass, over 6,500 sandbags and more than 7,500 feet of concrete barriers were positioned along the Palisades.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Raquel Sandoval reported that deputies ordered the evacuation of approximately nine residences north of Altadena Drive on Wednesday night.

She declared, “It’s not safe,” adding that deputies had visited the area again Thursday morning to make sure.

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The strong wind and extremely dangerous fire weather are causing power disruptions across Southern California. These conditions are predicted to continue through Thursday.

Public safety power shutoffs occur when power utilities purposefully turn off electricity to avert a fire. That’s because some of our most destructive fires in recent years, like the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties in 2017, were started by power lines burning dry vegetation.

Of course, severe winds can cause unanticipated outages as fallen trees and other debris knock down power lines.

Here are some recommendations for preparing for a power loss, fire, or other calamity. It’s vital to remember that being prepared for one form of calamity makes you much better prepared for others.

Almost any tragedy necessitates comparable preparation, and it is especially critical to plan for the specific demands you and your loved ones may have in these situations.

Keep a go-bag well equipped with medical and pet supplies in case you need to flee a fire or relocate to somewhere cooler or warmer. An emergency kit should comprise the following basic items:

• Food, including nonperishables, and a manual can opener.
• Tap water may not flow if you use an electric pump to transport it.
• Cash
• Flashlights and batteries
• Fire extinguishers
• Hand-crank the NOAA radio.
• Learn more about preparing a go-bag here and here.
• Make sure your car’s petrol tank or battery is at least halfway full, and devise an escape strategy from your neighborhood.
• Learn how to open any electronic garage doors or gates manually.
• Identify and physically write down emergency numbers (fire, sheriff, police, hospital, doctor, family, neighbor, coworker).