BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 39
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 39 (Huffman)
          As Amended  July 9, 2009
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |     |(June 3, 2009)  |SENATE: |21-14|(July 13,      |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2009)          |
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                    (vote not relevant)
           
           Original Committee Reference:    W., P. & W.  

           SUMMARY  :   States legislative intent to establish a plan for the  
          Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta).

           The Senate amendments  delete the Assembly version of this bill,  
          and instead state only legislative intent regarding a Delta  
          plan.

           EXISTING LAW  requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources  
          Agency to develop a strategic plan for the Delta; and,  
          authorizes various state agencies, including the California  
          Bay-Delta Authority, to implement Delta projects under the  
          CALFED Bay-Delta Program.

           FISCAL EFFECT :  None

           COMMENTS  :  The Delta has suffered from crisis for several years  
          - ecosystem, water supply, levee stability, water quality,  
          policy, program, and litigation.  Through this enduring Delta  
          crisis, the Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger initiated,  
          in 2006, a process to develop a new long-term vision for the  
          Delta.  SB 1574 (Kuehl), Chapter 535, Statutes of 2006, required  
          a cabinet committee to present recommendations for a Delta  
          vision.  The Governor created a Delta Vision Blue-Ribbon Task  
          Force to advise the Cabinet Committee.  The Task Force produced  
          an October 2008 Strategic Plan, which the Cabinet Committee  
          largely adopted and submitted, with its recommendations, to the  
          Legislature on January 3, 2009.   Creation of a comprehensive  
          Delta plan formed a cornerstone of the Strategic Plan's  
          recommendations.  

          This year, the Legislature has examined closely the  
          recommendations of both the Delta Vision Task Force and Cabinet  








                                                                  AB 39
                                                                  Page  2

          Committee.  Bi-cameral and bi-partisan working groups discussed  
          the issues arising out of the Delta crisis.  Several members  
          introduced bills on a wide range of water issues, based at least  
          in part on the Task Force's Strategic Plan.  Since the  
          bi-cameral discussions ended in May, several legislators,  
          including the author of this bill, have discussed possible  
          language for a set of bills related to Delta Vision.  In light  
          of the continuing budget deliberations, those discussions were  
          not completed, so a conference committee on water-related bills  
          was proposed.  This bill, as amended by the Senate, simply  
          states legislative intent to "establish" a Delta Plan.  The  
          author intends that, if a conference committee is convened, this  
          bill would be included in conference.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Alf W. Brandt / W., P. & W. / (916)  
          319-2096 


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