BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 429|
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CONSENT
Bill No: SB 429
Author: Hernandez (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/3/13
AYES: Hill, Gaines, Calderon, Corbett, Fuller, Hancock,
Jackson, Leno, Pavley
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority Act
SOURCE : San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority
DIGEST : This bill extends the sunset date of the San Gabriel
Basin Water Quality Authority (SGBWQA) from July 1, 2017 to July
1, 2030.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides that the SGBWQA sunsets July
1, 2017.
This bill extends the sunset date of the SGBWQA from July 1,
2017 to July 1, 2030.
Background
AB 1010 (Hernandez, Chapter 404, Statutes of 2007), extended the
sunset for the SGBWQA from 2010 to 2017, requires routine
updates of the authority's Internet Web site, and requires
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routine reporting.
SB 1679 (Russell, Chapter 776, Statutes of 1992), enacted the
San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority Act. State Water
Resources Control Board and Los Angeles Regional Water Quality
Control Board had investigated the groundwater conditions since
1979. The basin is the primary drinking water source for
residents and the US EPA had placed four areas of the basin on
its Superfund list in 1984. US EPA released a "San Gabriel
Basin-Wide Technical Plan" in 1990, describing a strategy to
remediate groundwater pollution. The above three entities
prepared a "white paper" describing institutional and financial
aspects of a comprehensive local groundwater management program
and concluded that a local program must possess powers to
construct and operate cleanup works, to coordinate and regulate
groundwater extraction and cleanup, and to finance activities.
The three water agencies in the basin formed a joint powers
authority (JPA) and the watermaster (i.e., a judicially created
association of private and public groundwater users) obtained
authority to regulate pumping for water quality protection.
However, because of concerns that the JPA was not effective, SB
1679 created the act with certain powers to address the
contamination problems.
AB 2173 (Margett, Chapter 281, Statutes of 1996), extended a
1998 sunset to 2002, reduced the cap on the annual pumping right
assessment from $35 to $20 per acre foot, and established a
"limited function status" provision. AB 2544 (Calderon, Chapter
905, Statutes of 2000), increased the number of board members
from five to seven and required two members to be producer
members, reduced the annual pumping right assessment cap from
$20 to $13, revised the board voting practices for certain
actions, and made various other changes to the act. SB 334
(Romero, Chapter 192, Statutes of 2003), reduced the annual
pumping right assessment cap from $13 to $10.
SB 822 (Margett, Chapter 271, Statutes of 2005), authorized the
SGBWQA to receive state funds for the purpose of meeting certain
nonfederal matching fund requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
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SUPPORT : (Verified 4/15/13)
San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority (source)
Association of California Water Agencies
California Water Association
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The San Gabriel Basin Water Quality
Authority states, "To continue protecting residents and
businesses in the communities of the San Gabriel Valley through
its ongoing efforts to cleanup the San Gabriel Valley regional
groundwater supply, the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality
Authority has an urgent and compelling need to extend its
legislatively granted charter from the current sunset date of
2017 to 2030."
RM:nl 4/17/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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