We’re thrilled to share that Governor Jerry Brown signed into law six important bills that advance environmental and water justice. We commend the legislators that authored each of these bills, our Governor for supporting them, and all of our allies in Sacramento and in the Valley for working so hard to make water justice a reality in California. Here’s a recap on the impact each bill will have:
SB 1263 (Wieckowski) allows the State Water Board to deny the creation of unsustainable water systems, and prevent the development of communities which would rely on unsustainable water sources such as hauled and bottled water.
SB 37 (Vidak) creates a special act Groundwater Sustainability Agency in the Kings Basin which includes a board that is representative of all beneficial users of the basin, including a seat for drinking water interests.
SB 552 (Wolk) creates the authority for the State Water Board to require a water system which consistently fails to provide safe drinking water to accept a limited-term contract administrator to help manage the system.
SB 1398 (Leyva) will develop an inventory of lead pipes in California’s water distribution, allowing us to better address water contamination caused by distribution lines.
SB 1000 (Leyva) adds an environmental justice element to land use and city general plans, which will help us reduce disproportionate impacts to low-income communities and communities of color.
SB 564 (Cannella) also creates a special act Groundwater Sustainability Agency within the Kings Basin and will include a Rural Community Advisory Committee.
With leadership from our allies and community partners, we achieved a lot together this 2016 legislative session! Watch a video from CWC's Policy Director, Jonathan Nelson about this year's policy wins!
