C-WIN Announces Recipients of Water Equity and Journalism Awards
Judy Stewart and John Earl Honored for Water Policy Reform Advocacy and Coverage
The California Water Impact Network has announced the recipients of the 2025 Dorothy Green Water Equity Award and the Dan Bacher Public Trust Communications Award.
“C-WIN established the awards this year to recognize both advocates in the fight for fair water policy and the journalists who cover this critical issue,” said Carolee Krieger, the organization’s executive director. “For 2025, we are pleased to announce Judy Stewart and John Earl as the recipients.”
The Dorothy Green Water Equity Award honors C-WIN co-founder and seminal Southern California environmental activist Dorothy Green.
“Along with her work with C-WIN, Dorothy founded Heal the Bay, the first major grassroots organization in the state to address water quality,” said Krieger. “Though Dorothy died in 2008, her vision continues to inspire activists fighting for fair and sustainable water development and distribution in California.”
Krieger said Judy Stewart exemplifies Green’s commitment to both environmental equity and public engagement on social justice issues.
“Judy is well-known in Southern California as a generous philanthropist with a particular interest in the intersection of natural resources, economic fairness, and ecological sustainability,” said Krieger. “Her perspective uncannily reflects one of the signature roles played by her father, Jimmy Stewart – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Like Jimmy’s Jefferson Smith, Judy instinctively and unrelentingly resists machine politics and corporate power. She shares C-WIN’s view that water belongs to the people, not a handful of billionaires and their dutiful pols in Sacramento and Washington.”
The Dan Bacher Public Trust Communications Award recognizes journalists who cover water issues aggressively, fairly and accurately. A $1,000 honorarium is included in the award.
“Dan Bacher has been writing about water and fisheries for more than forty years,” said Krieger. “His work is a burning indictment of the wastrel policies that have soaked ratepayers, inflicted incalculable damage on our environment, and sent our once-thriving salmon fisheries careening toward extinction. Dan is a member of C-WIN’s board, and we esteem him as a colleague as much as we admire him as a journalist. We are proud to name this award after him.”
Southern California Journalist John Earl is the recipient of the 2025 Dan Bacher Award. John is known for his tenacious investigative reporting of South State water policies and disputes, particularly in Orange County. His meticulous and relentless coverage of the proposed Poseidon Ocean Desalination plant in Huntington Beach exposed deep flaws and risks with the project, catalyzing public opposition that ultimately defeated the scheme.
John first covered water issues for the OC Voice, a print newspaper he co-owned and edited from 2006 to 2009. In 2010 he launched the Surf City Voice, a local investigative news blog based in Huntington Beach. That outlet subsequently evolved into SoCal Water Wars, a Substack-hosted newsletter focused on the issues that affect state water management, including climate change, drought, and government and corporate malfeasance.
“Given the decline of reliable legacy news outlets and the rise of conspiracist and partisan social media, our democratic institutions are at great risk,” observed Krieger. “There’s no way to sugar coat it. But John has shown that a single person dedicated to ferreting out the truth can still make a difference.”
Krieger said the 2025 award recipients are literal profiles in courage, and that C-WIN shares their vision of social justice and the fair distribution of public trust resources.
“C-WIN is a David fighting for water policy equity against the Goliath of corporate power and entrenched political interests,” said Krieger. “We can win our fight, but we can’t do it alone. These awards acknowledge the importance of building coalitions with allies and supporting the unfettered and fearless reporting essential to the preservation of a free and democratic society.
CONTACT
Carolee Krieger
C-WIN President and Executive Director
(805) 451-9565
caroleekrieger7@gmail.com
Christina Speed
C-WIN Communications Director
info.cwin@gmail.com
www.c-win.org
The California Water Impact Network is a state-wide organization that advocates for the equitable and sustainable use of California’s freshwater resources for all Californians.
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