Amended in Senate June 2, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 15, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2874

Introduced by Assembly Member Beth Gaines

February 19, 2016

An act to add Section 10730.1 to the Water Code, relating to public utilities.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2874, as amended, Beth Gaines. Groundwater sustainability agencies: fees.

Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as prescribed.

begin delete

Existing law

end delete

begin insert The act end insert authorizes a groundwater sustainability agency to impose fees, including, but not limited to, permit fees and fees on groundwater extraction or other regulated activity, to fund the costs of a groundwater sustainability program.

This bill would require a groundwater sustainability agency, before imposing or begin delete increasing, end delete begin insert increasing a fee end insert pursuant to this begin delete authority, a fee end delete begin insert authority end insert relating to a groundwater basin that includes a water corporation regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, to notify the Public Utilities Commission.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 10730.1 is added to the Water Code, to
read:

10730.1.  

A groundwater sustainability agency, before imposing
or begin delete increasing, pursuant to this chapter, end delete begin insert increasing end insert a fee begin insert pursuant
to Section 10730 or 10730.2 end insert relating to a groundwater basin that
includes a water corporation regulated by the Public Utilities
Commission, shall notify the Public Utilities Commission.