Topic: Legislation — California and Federal

A new bill from Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia would hasten efforts to clean up the New River, which flows from Mexico into the Salton Sea and has long been known as one of America’s most polluted waterways.

One newly introduced bill would speed approval of Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley. Another would help restore San Francisco Bay habitat. More targeted bills are coming.

It was not surprising that out-of-state plastic-bag makers succeeded in temporarily scuttling a statewide ban on single-use grocery bags that would have begun in July.

Assembly Bill 434, introduced this week by state Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, would authorize point-of-use filtration systems as a way to help solve the elevated levels of arsenic in the Coachella Valley.

The San Diego Democrat pitched a bill this week that would allow residents in homeowner associations to replace their lawns with synthetic turf without fear of fines.

Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Nicolaus, introduced Assembly Bill 311 on Thursday to streamline the environmental review process for water storage projects funded through the 2014 Proposition 1 water bond.

The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee will examine Gov. Jerry Brown’s approach to water funding and local funding needs during a 10 a.m. hearing in Room 4203 of the Capitol.

Assemblyman Jim Wood’s bill would seek to mitigate the impact of the [medical marijuana] crop on California’s water quality and supply.

Local officials agreed Thursday that carrying out California’s new groundwater law will be a challenge, but it’s better than the alternative – letting the state impose the rules.

There’s money for restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, likely to survive congressional winnowing. Proposed upgrades at places like Yosemite National Park will probably find Capitol Hill favor, as well, along with funding for Central Valley flood control and dam improvements.

Sites Reservoir is in a holding pattern as project leaders wait for the state to settle on regulations for distributing funds from last year’s $7.5 billion water bond.

Deadlines for meeting a new state mandate to balance the overdrafted Salinas Valley groundwater basin are years away, but Monterey County water and agricultural industry leaders are calling for the local process to begin immediately.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, a self-described Brooklyn street fighter, took a swing Wednesday at House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield over water, saying she told the Republican, “Don’t threaten me.”

In his State of the State and inaugural address, Gov. Jerry Brown reflected on the “eerie resemblance” between the challenges his father faced and those we grapple with today. Gov. Pat Brown’s California responded to the water crisis of his day with a massive undertaking, building the State Water Project.

A state scientific review of what’s known about fracking in California finds the controversial oil and gas production technique is used in nearly half of all new wells, particularly in four Kern county oil fields in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley. 

The saga of the California drought — possibly the most severe in 1,200 years — may not be enough on its own to cause the 114th Congress to fork over billions in federal dollars for new water projects that benefit the Golden State.

Hydraulic fracturing unlocked oil at about half of the new wells launched in California over the last decade, and the practice will likely expand in a chunk of the San Joaquin Valley, according to a new study required by the 2013 law to regulate the practice.

State Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, noted at a Sacramento gathering of water policy experts and elected officials on Monday that water oversight begins with figuring out how much water is needed for cities, agriculture, industry and the environment.

Lawmakers will begin a series of oversight hearings on the water bond funding and flood control funding this week.

A staggering economic and environmental problem festering for three decades in the southern San Joaquin Valley would be addressed by a secret deal reached between the Obama administration and farmers — one that is sounding alarms for Bay Area lawmakers. … Details of the deal between Westlands and the federal Bureau of Reclamation have not been revealed to members of Congress, who would have to approve it.

The first time Barbara Boxer’s name showed up in a Los Angeles Times editorial, it was May of 1984 and she was a first-term U.S. representative from the Bay Area pushing legislation that would force utilities – including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Metropolitan Water District – to pay market rates for power generated by the Hoover Dam.

California’s knack for spotting problems and producing answers on topics both grand and puny is on display in 930 laws taking effect this month. … Local water agencies will now have to account for groundwater pumping, an unregulated practice that is siphoning off last-ditch water supplies in a drought.

The heads of the 13 major [Senate] committees and Veterans’ Affairs are some of the most senior members of the Senate. … Only one new leader will be a woman; Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is in line to take over the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Forty-five years ago, in December 1969, President Richard Nixon signed a unique Bi-State Compact approving California and Nevada’s plan to create the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. It was the first such undertaking of its kind, uniting two states, six local jurisdictions, and the federal government in a shared mission to protect Lake Tahoe’s sensitive environment from overdevelopment.

During his tenure President Barack Obama has designated 13 national monuments, and the next one on his list should be California’s Berryessa Snow Mountain. Berryessa Snow Mountain is a national treasure — the region’s natural beauty, cultural history and economic significance place it among the most special places in the country — and it should be permanently protected.

As the most severe winter storm in at least a half-decade bore down on California on Tuesday, 3,000 miles away in Washington, the House voted, largely along party lines, for a California drought relief bill.

The U.S. House on Tuesday passed a California drought bill, despite a veto threat from the Obama administration and its expected demise in the Senate in the final days before Congress adjourns.

California homeowner associations would be required to allow artificial turf in front yards under a bill recently proposed by the San Diego County Water Authority. … Citing the growing need to conserve water, the San Diego agency sponsored similar legislation in 2010 and 2011.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will announce Monday a proposal to prohibit single-use plastic bags at stores in the city in the event that opponents of a newly adopted statewide ban are able to force a public vote on that legislation.

House Republicans try again to send more water to San Joaquin Valley farmers, but President Obama says he’ll veto the bill.

House Republicans intend to jam through a California drought-relief bill early next week that would suspend some state water rights and environmental law to maximize water diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

When it comes to state politics, few issues are as contentious as water and parks. North Coast Assemblyman Marc Levine will be navigating those treacherous waters next year after he assumes the chair of the state Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

Brown lawns might seem like an extreme form of water conservation, but now comes the first bill of the new legislative session — from an assembly member named Brown — that seeks to make brown lawns off-limits to local fines.

A last-ditch effort by Central Valley Republicans to push an overhaul of federal water policy through Congress during this session met with opposition Wednesday from at least one California senator, all but ensuring that the bill will die until next year.

Still staggering under $24 billion in debt, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will increase flood-insurance rates up to 18 percent next year for those living in high-risk flood zones, including the Smith Canal area of Stockton.

More than two-thirds of California voters authorized the state to borrow more than $7 billion to improve a water system strained by more than three years of drought. Now the difficult job of smartly targeting problems and effectively implementing projects is beginning.

For California water managers, 2014 has been one for the record books. Reservoirs have dropped to near-record lows, surface water deliveries have been slashed and some communities are rationing water to keep supplies in reserve for next year. But amid these challenging conditions, California voters opened the door for long-term solutions when they passed Proposition 1 on Nov. 4.

Whether Prop. 1 delivers on its promise, however, depends on what happens next. One danger is that Prop. 1 will lull Californians into believing that we have solved our water troubles. We haven’t. Nothing that Prop. 1 can do will redress the current drought.

Late Thursday morning, while the Capitol Hill spotlight was pointed elsewhere, three Northern California congressmen paid a quiet call on the state’s junior Democratic senator, Barbara Boxer. They wanted to talk water.

With the continuation of California’s historic drought and the recent passage of Proposition 1, the potential value of additional water storage in the state is an area of vigorous discussion. In a new study released today, we look at the different roles of storage in California’s integrated water system and evaluate storage capacity expansion from what we call a “system analysis approach.”

Already missing out on state money to address the drought, San Joaquin County officials will soon ask property owners if they’re willing to disclose to the state what some feel are sensitive details about their wells.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Republicans have been secretly negotiating drought relief legislation that could severely alter California water policy. She should know better.

Californians, you just voted yourselves a $7-billion-plus water bond measure. What happens now? Lester Snow can draw you the map of water needs and detail the money being spent.

Twenty years ago, President Bill Clinton invited an Inland environmental activist to the White House for the signing of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994.

A day after passage of bond measure Proposition 1, water experts said it was too soon to say exactly how the gusher of tax dollars will be spent — but they envisioned new pipelines in Bay Area neighborhoods, groundwater cleanup in the San Fernando Valley, clean tap water in East Porterville, creek protections in the Sierra and a new dam on the San Joaquin River.

The California Department of Water Resources has awarded more than 14-million dollars in grants for drought-related and water-related projects in the Sacramento region.

Some tidbits from last night’s water bond vote: Twelve counties opposed the bond, 10 of which roughly make up the state of Jefferson territory in far Northern California.

California’s aging water infrastructure and collection of ecosystems will receive a $7.5 billion injection of taxpayer dollars, as voters on Tuesday approved a sizable bond that had become a priority for lawmakers and the governor. 

If you are a water manager, your “fear list” may include earthquakes, climate change, having your water use made public and not least of all, new laws and regulations. California has a law that is new and complex – the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. … The key element of the new legislation is the development of “groundwater sustainability plans” by groundwater sustainability agencies.

When Californians close the musty drapes of the voting booth on Tuesday, they will face a $US 7.5 billion question: Should the perpetually water-worried state, in the midst of a record drought, use its taxing authority to pay for another set of state-funded water projects? If the voters say yes – as the polls suggest is likely – Proposition 1 will be the seventh and most expensive water-related bond passed in California since 2000.

The environmentalists and other activists who had advocated for protecting the San Gabriel Mountains were shocked this month when President Obama created a national monument that was significantly smaller than they had expected and that excluded heavily used areas of the forest north of Los Angeles and Pasadena.

For the past half-century, California has fallen behind in adequately planning for our water future by not investing in water storage and improved infrastructure. This failure, combined with the persistent drought, has led to the current statewide water crisis and threatens the future of our agriculture.

A showdown over whether to employ state legislation requiring union-backed labor protections on the Interlake Tunnel project continued Tuesday even as a status report indicated the project cost has nearly doubled.

Conservationists are turning their attention to the restoration of the Santa Ana River after recently approved legislation established a program to create a network of trails and river-bottom parks that could eventually connect scenic spots from Big Bear Lake to Huntington Beach.

The Santa Ana River, born of snowmelt and natural springs near Big Bear Lake, flows through Southern California as one of the region’s most scenic rivers — until it hits Orange County. … Under the legislation by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), the Santa Ana River Conservancy Program will operate within the state Coastal Conservancy …”

In his first policy speech as California’s Senate leader, Kevin de León said one of his key priorities will be combating climate change by setting policies that promote energy efficiency. … In his speech to the water officials Thursday, de León also stumped for Proposition 1 …”

A report released Thursday cautions that the $7.5 billion water bond on California’s November ballot may not yield “real improvements” to the state’s water supply or environment.

Forest Service officials on Thursday released the long-awaited final map of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, and made it available to the public online.

Faced with a state mandate to balance groundwater basins within the next two decades, Monterey County officials on Tuesday took the first step toward meeting that goal in the long overdrafted Salinas Valley groundwater basin.

AB1871, legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last month, is arguably the most important piece of legislation affecting California farmers’ markets since they were authorized in 1977.

The signs appear about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, tacked onto old farm wagons parked along quiet two-lane roads and bustling Interstate 5. “Congress Created Dust Bowl.” “Stop the Politicians’ Water Crisis.” “No Water No Jobs.”

Gov. Jerry Brown pitched his plan Monday for a water bond and a rainy-day fund at a Stanford University water conference. … He called his water plan a “four-term effort.”

He’ll [Gov. Jerry Brown] dive further into the world of water at a policy conference today at Stanford University, hosted by The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. … His speech, scheduled for 9:20 a.m., will be webcast.

The California Water Foundation has released an informative site on the various projects that would be funded under this year’s $7.5 billion water bond proposal.

The reduction of water use in new homes has long been a focus of California’s homebuilding industry. … The good news is the state has a golden opportunity to use the emergency drought funds available to retrofit older homes to comply with current building standards – potentially saving hundreds of billions of gallons a year.

A new campaign is underway to promote the new Salton Sea license plate, with the goal of registering at least 7,500 pre-sales by the end of next year. … Assemblyman Brian Nestande, a Palm Desert Republican, sponsored the legislation to create the plate. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law in September.

If state voters approve a water bond on the ballot next month, Monterey County would be in line for $12.5 million for the Interlake Tunnel water storage project, Assemblyman Luis Alejo said Tuesday.

Sonoma County planning officials on Monday unveiled the most significant changes in nearly 40 years to the county’s underground well ordinance, which sets in place rules property owners must follow when drilling a new water well.

Cattle and sheep have grazed on the floor of the Antelope Valley for more than a century. But just a few years from now, the land could be transformed into the bottom of a vast inland sea.

Amid a multiyear dry stretch that is among the worst droughts on record, California lawmakers this year made crafting a new water bond a priority.

Beyond the typical traffic headaches and streets closures, President Obama will leave Los Angeles on Friday with a national monument in its backyard.

The lure of a San Gabriel Mountains wilderness teeming with wildlife, rivers and breathtaking panoramas is so strong that it now draws 3 million annual visitors whose presence, paradoxically, has overrun the region and degraded its beauty. President Obama will address that reality Friday by announcing that he is designating part of the mountains a national monument.

Storage was the key sticking point in getting the legislature to pass the water bond with the two thirds vote it needed. That portion of the bond includes reservoirs and projects to clean up or store more groundwater.

Gov. Jerry Brown is collecting millions of dollars from‎ special interests to help him promote two pet projects on the November ballot: a water bond measure and a state rainy-day fund.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s efforts to clean up California have been impressive in the past four years, but he outdid himself Tuesday when he signed the nation’s first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto of a bill to reform the California Department of Toxic Substances Control is drawing indignation from community groups and state legislators who had pressed for broad changes at the troubled agency.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Tuesday that makes California the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags.

Rebates received by homeowners for replacing their lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping will not be counted as income, according to a bill authored by a Los Angeles lawmaker and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday.

California made history recently when Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Its passage marks a once-in-a-century achievement, for it was 100 years ago that California enacted the first comprehensive legal framework for managing surface water.

Under new amendments to California’s Urban Water Management Planning Act, urban water suppliers will be required to provide narrative descriptions of their water demand management measures and account for system water losses when preparing Urban Water Management Plans, among other changes. The amended Act, created by Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on Assembly Bill 2067 and Senate Bill 1420 last week, also establishes July 1, 2016 as the deadline for urban water suppliers to prepare and submit their 2015 UWMPs to the Department of Water Resources.

Californians continue to see the ongoing drought as a priority — and that may be driving a willingness to spend billions on securing their future water supplies.

California voters will be faced with a $7.5 billion question this fall about whether to publicly finance a water bond meant to help the state better manage its most precious and increasingly limited resource.