BILL ANALYSIS
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| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Fran Pavley, Chair |
| 2009-2010 Regular Session |
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BILL NO: AB 2775 HEARING DATE: June 22, 2010
AUTHOR: Huffman URGENCY: Yes
VERSION: June 17, 2010 CONSULTANT: Dennis O'Connor
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of
2010: surface storage projects: joint powers authorities.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
As a part of the water package passed in the 2009/10 7th
extraordinary session, was SBX7 2 (Cogdill). That bill enacted
the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010,
which, if approved by the voters in November 2010, would
authorize $11.14 billion in general obligation bonds to fund
various water resources programs and project. The funding by
chapter is as follows:
$455 M Chapter 5. Drought Relief
$1,050 Chapter 6.Water Supply Reliability
$2,250 Chapter 7.Delta Sustainability
$3,000 Chapter 8.Statewide Water System
Operational Improvement
$1,785 Chapter 9.Conservation And Watershed
Protection
$1,000 Chapter 10.Groundwater Protection And
Water Quality
$1,250 Chapter 11.Water Recycling Program
$11,140 M Total
Chapter 8 would provide $3.0 B for surface and groundwater
storage projects. Chapter 8 specified, among other things, that
funds allocated construction of surface storage projects
identified in the CALFED Bay-Delta Record of Decision may be
provided for those purposes to local joint powers authorities
formed by irrigation districts and other local water districts
and local governments within the applicable hydrologic region to
design, acquire, and construct those projects.
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Chapter 8 further specified that the joint powers authorities
(JPA) may include in their membership governmental and
nongovernmental partners that are not located within their
respective hydrologic regions in financing the surface storage
projects, including, as appropriate, cost share participation or
equity participation. Also the Department of Water Resources
(DWR) would be an ex-officio member of each joint powers
authority subject to this section, but the DWR would be
prohibited from controlling the governance, management, or
operation of the surface water storage projects.
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would delete the provision authorizing JPAs to include
in their membership governmental and nongovernmental partners
that are not located within their respective hydrologic regions
in financing the surface storage projects.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the Author, "AB 2775 clarifies that the intent of
the bond funds is to be used only for public benefits. These
amendments remove unnecessary language to avoid possible
confusion regarding private partners in a public JPA"
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: None
COMMENTS
Is This The Only Correction Needed? The press periodically
reports on one group or another asserting that the bond includes
too much pork, is tilted too much towards environmental
programs, includes too much money for traditional water
projects, includes too many carve outs, or is simply too large.
It is not clear whether additional amendments to the bond are
necessary or desirable to address other perceived deficiencies.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS: None
SUPPORT
None Received
OPPOSITION
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None Received
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