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Capitol-Updates

Capitol Update Saturday, November 07, 2009

Capitol Update Saturday, November 07, 2009

Allison Olson, CFRW Advocate

Capitol Update
Saturday, November 07, 2009

California Federation of Republican Women
Kathleen Brugger, President

THE WATER SPECIAL

After a legislative all-nighter, a deal was struck in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and a five bill water package was passed. Your CFRW Advocate read all five bills and will digest what you need to know within this Capitol Update. To pay for this water system overhaul, the Legislature proposed an $11.1 billion dollar bond. The bond requires approval by California voters and will be on the November 2, 2010 general election ballot. The CFRW has not taken an official position on the bond measure. There is good and bad within the water package, and legislators sometimes intentionally write vague policy so that implementation is open to interpretation. Please remain informed!

*Disclaimer!*

I realize this Capitol Update is much longer than usual. It would be easy to summarize where the money from this bill is going; a billion here for groundwater storage, a hundred million there for flood protection. But I wanted to tell our CFRW members EXACTLY where the bond money would be going. As you will be able to see, some of the bond money has been appropriated towards earmarks and the creation of government agencies and programs. The fact is that California desperately needs water reform. Is this the way? YOU decide…

Questions?

Next week’s Capitol Update will be dedicated to your questions about the water package. For those of you brave enough to read all of the Capitol Update or even the legislation itself; or if you have read some newspaper articles regarding the water bills, please send your questions to advocate@cfrw.org. I will do my best to answer all of the questions, space permitting. Send in those questions!

SBX7 1: Simitian (D-11)

-Reduces members of “Delta Protection Commission” from 23 to 15, and requires the commission to review and amend the “Delta Plan” every 5 years

-Would establish the “Delta Investment Fund” in the State Treasury. Money to be appropriated by the Legislature and can receive funds from federal, state, local and private resources

-Creates the “Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy” as the primary state agency in implementation of ecosystem restoration and environmental protection, consisting of 11 members

-Would establish the “Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy Fund” in the State Treasury. Money appropriated by the Legislature to finance ecosystem restoration and economic sustainability projects

-Creates the “Delta Stewardship Council” consisting of 7 members to develop the “Delta Plan” on or before January 1, 2012, as well as appointing a “Delta Watermaster”

-Appropriates $28 million to Two-Gates Fish Protection program from $5.4 billion of the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Costal Bond Act approved by voters in 2006

-Within the “Delta Plan” there will include, among other things:

    -Public safety and flood protection
    -Agriculture infrastructure sustainability
    -Recommendations on encouraging Delta recreation use

-The Conservancy shall not exercise the power of eminent domain

-The Council appoints a “Delta Independent Science Board” to establish an effective system of Delta watershed diversion data collection by December 3, 2010

SBX7 2: Cogdill (R-14)

-Allocates $11,140,000,000 to finance SBX7 2 from bonds

-$455,000,000 towards “Drought Relief”

    -Of that, $190,000,000 towards planning, design and construction of local and regional drought relief projects
    -$90,000,000 towards “disadvantaged communities” experiencing economic impacts from drought for drought relief programs
    -$75,000,000 to the Water Resources Control Board for grants
    -$80,000,000 deposited into the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, and within this, $8 million to the City of Maywood for water projects
    -$20,000,000 to the New River clean up and water quality improvement in Imperial Valley

-$1,050,000,000 towards Water Supply Reliability (with no less than 10% towards “disadvantaged communities”)

    Of that, here is the breakdown:
    -$45,000,000 to the North Coast
    -$132,000,000 to San Francisco Bay
    -$58,000,000 to Central Coast
    -$198,000,000 to Los Angeles
    -$128,000,000 to Santa Ana
    -$87,000,000 to San Diego
    -$76,000,000 to Sacramento River
    -$64,000,000 to San Joaquin River
    -$70,000,000 to Kern/Tulare
    -$51,000,000 to North/South Lahontan
    -$47,000,000 to Colorado River Basin
    -$44,000,000 to Mountain Counties
    -$50,000,000 to Interregional ($10 million of this to University of California, Sierra Nevada Research Institute for Sierra Nevada snow pack and runoff related research)

-$350,000,000 to the Department of Water Resources for grants for conveyance projects

-$2,250,000,000 for Delta sustainability

    -Of that, $750,000,000 towards projects for Delta counties and cities for drinking water improvement, fortification of levees, improvement of natural habitat, etc.
    -$1,500,000,000 towards protecting Delta ecosystem, restoring native fish and wildlife, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from exposed soils and scientific studies

-$3,000,000,000 for public benefits towards water storage projects that improve the state water system

-$1,785,000,000 towards conservation and watershed protection and restoration projects

    -Of that, $250,000,000 available to the State Coastal Conservancy
    -Within this, $40,000,000 to San Diego County
    -$20,000,000 to the San Diego River Conservancy
    -$40,000,000 to Santa Ana River Parkway
    -$20,000,000 to Bolsa Chica wetlands

-$100,000,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Board for acquisition of water rights from willing sellers

-$215,000,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Board for protection of species in watersheds that are threatened or endangered

    -Of that, $25,000,000 to the San Joaquin River Conservancy
    -$20,000,000 to Ventura County

 

    -$75,000,000 to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy
    -$75,000,000 to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
    -$20,000,000 to Baldwin Hills Conservancy
    -$25,000,000 to Santa Monica Bay
    -$50,000,000 to the State Coastal Conservancy for salmon restoration projects
    -$100,000,000 to Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program
    -$20,000,000 to the Department of Conservation for the California Farmland Conservancy Program
    -$50,000,000 to California River Parkways
    -$75,000,000 to Sierra Nevada Conservancy
    -$100,000,000 to the Salton Sea restoration
    -$10,000,000 to Natural Resources Agency
    -$30,000,000 to California Department of Parks and Recreation for watershed education facilities
    -$20,000,000 for watershed education centers in urban areas with a population of over one million
    -$10,000,000 deposited in the California Waterfowl Habitat Preservation Account
    -$100,000,000 to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
    -$250,000,000 for dam removal in Klamath River watershed
    -$20,000,000 to Siskiyou County
    -$50,000,000 to California State University for water related research
    -$50,000,000 to the State Coastal Conservancy
    -$60,000,000 to the Natural Resources Agency to improve salmon passage in the Sacramento River watershed
    -$50,000,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Board

-$1,000,000,000 for groundwater protection and water quality

    -Of this, $100,000,000 to the State Department of Public Health for emergency and urgent actions for “disadvantaged communities” in regards to unsafe water

-$100,000,000 for water recycling and advanced treatment technology projects

    -Of that, $50,000,000 available for projects that help restore lost water supply

-$250,000,000 for urban water suppliers for implementation if water conservation programs

If the voters approve the selling of this $11.1 billion dollar bond, the Treasurer may sell no more than $5.6 billion before July 1, 2015.

SBX7 6: Steinberg (D-6)

-Establishes a groundwater monitoring program to be implemented by January 1, 2012

-Monitoring agencies may be voluntary or local/regional governments, but must comply with program once implemented

SBX7 7: Steinberg (D-6)

-Requires the state to reduce urban water consumption by 20% by December 31, 2020

-Progress to this goal must be made by reducing per capita water use by at least 10% by December 31, 2015

-Urban retail water suppliers must comply with water conservation regulations by July 1, 2016

-Agricultural water suppliers must comply with water conservation regulation by July 1, 2013

-Urban water suppliers must implement evaluations for commercial, industrial, and institutional water use and water demands for manufacturing processes

-Agricultural water suppliers must implement incentive pricing structures that promotes efficient use of water, conjunctive use of groundwater, reduction in problem drainage and improved management of environmental resources

SBX7 8: Steinberg (D-6)

-Appropriates from the state budget $3,750,000 annually for the purpose of funding permanent water right enforcement

-Takes $546,000,000 from the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006 for financing a safe drinking water, water quality and supply, flood control, and resource protection program

    -$250,000,000 to the Department of Water Resources for regional water management grants to reduce the dependence on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for water supply
    -$32,000,000 to the Department of Water Resources for flood control programs
    -$170,000,000 to the Department of Water Resources to reduce the risk of levee failure
    -$70,000,000 to the Department of Water Resources for storm water flood management programs

 

    -$24,000,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Board for grants to local agencies to implement natural conservation plans

Tracking Legislation

Although we are unable to give our members access to our web-based bill tracking service, there is a way you can find and monitor California legislation. You can access that information on the internet by going to the Legislature Home Page and completing the information on the right side by either indicating the bill number, the author, or key words. You can then subscribe to an email update and you will be notified when there is action on legislation of interest to you.

Disclaimer: The Capitol Update is an activity of the CFRW Advocate’s Office. The update is for information only. CFRW official positions on legislation are stated immediately preceding the stated legislation or immediately following the stated legislation in this report.

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