Sen. Jerry McNerney is laying down the gauntlet against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal to fast-track a controversial Delta water tunnel. What happened: McNerney said he has the votes to defeat Newsom’s bid last week to speed up the permitting for a tunnel underneath the state’s main water delivery hub, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, if it came to that. “I’m confident that we do,” the former House Democrat said in an interview following a press conference on the issue. A version of the proposed project has been floating around — first as a canal, then a pair of tunnels — for more than a half-century, during which it has reliably brought out opposition from environmental groups and elected officials in the Delta region concerned about habitat loss and construction impacts.

Other Delta tunnel news:

• The Bond Buyer: Governor’s plan gives Delta project a blank check, opponents claim
• Californians for Water Security: News release: Californians for Water Security applauds Governor Newsom’s trailer bill to advance Delta Conveyance Project
• Daily Kos: Blog: Tribes, environmental groups blast Newsom’s fast-tracking of Delta Tunnel, urge audit of DWR funding