Californians against the Canal is the brainchild of Robert Johnson Jr., an avid fly fisher and outdoor enthusiast, fisheries advocate and political activist. We are working collaboratively with several other entities including the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Restore the Delta to fight for the Delta and Northern California / Southern Oregon fishing and farm communities.
At present we are not organized as a non profit entity. We anticipate that this entity will formally register as a political action committee or a 501(c)(4), but details are being worked out. Because the Governor and the major water districts that are driving the canal kept this secret until the last minute, we have not had much time to plan. But as you will see in the StopCanal.org video, we mean to be hard hitting and non-conventional.
Founder Robert Johnson, Jr. is aligned with fisheries advocacy groups, and approaches the fight to stop the canal with fisheries at heart. You see, fishermen, collectively, are often the first line of defense over a given ecosystem. Whether one keeps his/her limit, or purely practices catch and release, we interact directly with the ecosystem. Fish live in water, and water is the center of any ecosystem. To gently (correctly) hold a fish, admire it, and release it safely to its home gives us a most divine connection to that ecosystem and with Mother Nature.
So it is in this spirit that Californians against the Canal will refute the hate-filled, astroturfing frame that the California water war is about “fish versus people.” This simply will not stand. We will make the case loud and clear that there are far superior projects that will produce more water than has ever been exported from Northern California – and at FAR LESS COST!
Please watch the video, read through the site and TAKE ACTION!
About Robert Johnson:
Robert Johnson is a San Francisco Bay Area native. Mr. Johnson is an independent consultant to the real estate investment management industry, and has held positions with AMB Capital Partners as a senior vice president and portfolio manager and served in a similar capacity for Catellus Development Corporation and LaSalle Investment Management, among others. Robert holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management and a Masters in real estate development and finance from MIT’s Center for Real Estate and Dept of Urban Planning. He resides in the SF Bay Area with his wife of 19 years and their daughter and son. Robert is recognized throughout northern California and beyond as an accomplished fly fisherman and angler, and has held a life-long passion for the environment and outdoor sports. He recently placed 3rd in the second annual BassNFly tournament, the first known officially sponsored fly fishing tournament in the state. He actively advocates for fisheries groups in northern California, and recently founded Save Delta Fish.org and helped defeat Assembly Bill 1253, a bill which would have eradicated striped bass in California.