BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2515|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2515
Author: Weber (D)
Amended: 5/27/16 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 8-0, 6/28/16
AYES: Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,
Monning, Vidak
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/11/16
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza, Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-1, 6/1/16 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Water Conservation in Landscaping Act: model
water-efficient landscaping ordinance
SOURCE: San Diego County Water Authority
DIGEST: This bill requires the Department of Water Resources
(DWR), by January 1, 2020, and at least every three years
thereafter, to update the Model Water Efficient Landscape
Ordinance (model ordinance) or make a finding that an update to
the model ordinance at that time is not a useful. The bill also
requires DWR, upon updating the model ordinance, to submit the
update to the California Building Standards Commission
(Commission) for consideration during the triennial revision
process of the CalGreen Code.
AB 2515
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ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the Commission and the process for adopting, and
updating every three years, the California Building Code.
2)Authorizes the Commission to adopt green building standards.
These standards are maintained in a separate chapter of the
California Building Code, known as the CalGreen Code.
3)Required DWR to revise the model ordinance by January 2009.
DWR adopted the revised the model ordinance on September 10,
2010.
4)Directes DWR, under the Governor's April 1, 2015 executive
order regarding the ongoing drought, to update the model
ordinance through expedited regulation. This update was to
increase water efficiency standards for new and existing
landscapes through more efficient irrigation systems,
greywater usage, onsite stormwater capture, and by limiting
the portion of landscapes that can be covered in turf. On
July 15, 2015, the California Water Commission approved DWR's
revision to the model ordinance.
This bill:
1)Requires DWR, by January 1, 2020, and at least every three
years thereafter, to either (1) update the model ordinance or
(2) make a finding that an update to the model ordinance at
that time is not a useful or effective means to improve either
the efficiency of landscape water use or the administration of
the model ordinance.
2)Requires DWR, upon updating the model ordinance, to submit any
updates to the Commission for consideration during the
AB 2515
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triennial revision process of the CalGreen Code.
3)Makes a number of findings regarding the importance of the
model ordinance and the advantage of synchronizing the updates
with the triennial cycle for revisions of the CalGreen Code.
Related/Prior Legislation
AB 1928 (Campos, 2016) - requires the Energy Commission, by
January 1, 2019, to adopt landscape irrigation equipment
performance standards and labeling requirements. The sale of
landscape irrigation equipment that does not meet those
established performance standards and labeling requirements
would be banned after the adoption of those standards and
labeling requirements.
SB 1340 (Wolk, 2016) - adds to the model ordinance a permit
requirement for the installation or replacement of specified
automatic irrigation systems, or the expansion of the same
specified automatic irrigation systems to increase the irrigated
area by 25% or more, for a landscape project on or after July 1,
2018.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, approximately
$500,000 for DWR to revise the model ordinance (General Fund)
and between $15,000 and $25,000 every three years thereafter for
coordination.
SUPPORT: (Verified8/12/16)
San Diego County Water Authority (source)
Association of California Water Agencies
California Landscape Contractors Association
Nexus eWater Inc.
Sierra Club California
Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District
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OPPOSITION: (Verified8/12/16)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, "With California
experiencing prolonged and serious drought conditions over the
past 4 years, everyone - including homeowners, renters,
businesses, government agencies, schools - has been asked to do
everything they can to conserve water and improve water use
efficiency. With outdoor water use consisting more than half
the average household water use, attention to improving
landscape irrigation efficiency should be an ongoing focus."
"Synchronization of the Model Water Efficient Landscape
Ordinance revision cycle with the CALGreen building code
revision cycle would allow updated Model Water Efficient
Landscape Ordinance standards to be adopted in the CALGreen
building code revisions during the same triennial cycle. A
synchronized revision cycle would also eliminate the current
practice of updating Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance
in an uncoordinated, unplanned, and ad hoc manner."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-1, 6/1/16
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Arambula, Atkins, Baker,
Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke,
Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley,
Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth
Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto,
Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Roger
Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey,
Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes,
McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte,
O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,
Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting,
Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Rendon
NOES: Harper
Prepared by:Dennis O'Connor / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
AB 2515
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8/15/16 19:39:53
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