BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1345
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 6, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
SB 1345 (Natural Resources Committee) - As Amended: June 17,
2014
Policy Committee: Natural
ResourcesVote:9-0
Local Government 9-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This omnibus committee bill extends the Wholesale Regional Water
System Security and Reliability (WRWSSR) Act and makes technical
and clarifying changes in the Water and Public Resources Codes.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Extends the Wholesale Regional Water System Security and
Reliability Act (WRWSSR Act) sunset date from 2015 to January
1, 2022.
2)Corrects a Forest Practice Rules reference in the working
forest management plan (WFMP) that describes the Southern
Subdistrict of the Coast Forest District (Southern
Subdistrict)
3)Makes technical, non-substantive changes to the statute
governing the Central Valley Floor Protection Board (CVFPB)
liens.
4)Extends the comment period to 120 days for the California
Seismic Safety Commission (CSSC) and the Department of Public
Health (DPH) to comment to the Joint Legislative Audit
Committee (JLAC) regarding changes or delays to the capital
improvement projects program required pursuant to the WRWSSR
Act.
FISCAL EFFECT
Ongoing costs of less than $50,000 to the CSSC and DPH to be
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reimbursed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose. This bill contains technical and clarifying changes
and extends the sunset date on the WRWSSR Act to ensure
continued state oversight until all improvements to San
Francisco's regional water system are completed.
2)SF Bay Area Regional Water System . The WRWSSR Act requires
the City and County of San Francisco to adopt capital
improvement projects to restore and improve the Bay Area
regional water system. These projects are executed under the
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's (SFPUC) Water
System Improvement Program (WSIP).
Although the WRWSSR Act sunsets in 2015, projects related to
the seismic retrofit of San Francisco's Regional Water System
have fallen behind schedule. Delays have occurred due to
unforeseen factors, including weather conditions, the
discovery of naturally occurring asbestos, and construction
material shortages.
The SFPUC estimates that 33 out of 47 projects will conclude
at the end of 2014 with all projects reaching completion in
2019. Projects will lose state oversight in 2015 and the City
and County of San Francisco would no longer be statutorily
required to complete crucial projects, including the
replacement of the Calaveras Dam and construction of
seismically-engineered conduits installed where the Hetch
Hetchy Dam system crosses earthquake faults. This bill
addresses this issue by extending the 2015 sunset date to
2022.
Under the WRWSSR Act, the CSSC and DPH are required to provide
comments on public health and safety to the Joint Legislative
Audit Committee within 90 days of receiving notice of a
project delay. This bill extends the comment period to 120
days.
3)Southern Subdistrict . AB 904 (Chesbro), Chapter 648, Statutes
of 2013, created the WMFP. The Southern Subdistrict, which
includes the counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo,
San Francisco, and Marin, is excluded from the WFMP. The WFMP
statute references the wrong regulation to describe the
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Southern Subdistrict. This bill fixes this drafting error.
4)CVFPB Liens . SB 753 (Steinberg), Chapter 639, Statutes of
2013, granted the CVFPB authority to record a lien in response
to certain violation. The language contained an error by
granting CVFPB the authority to record the lien with the
county clerk instead of the county recorder. This bill fixes
this drafting error.
Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081