AB 1749 (Mathis): CEQA: Exemption: Recycled Water Pipeline. Assembly Bill 1749 would extend the exemption, until January 1, 2019, from CEQA requirements on projects consisting of the construction or expansion of recycled water pipeline and directly related infrastructure within existing rights of way, and directly related groundwater replenishment under specified conditions and undertaken for the purpose of mitigating drought conditions for which a state of emergency was proclaimed by the Governor. Status: Awaits consideration on the Assembly Floor. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2678 (Gray): State-Designated Fairs: Funding. Assembly Bill 2678 would dedicate the State portion of the sales and use tax collected from transactions at fairgrounds (except for Los Angeles) to support small - and medium-sized fairs. Status: Awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 2781 (Garcia): Supplemental Environmental Projects. Assembly Bill 2781 would direct 10 percent of all penalties collected by California Environmental Protection Agency boards, departments, and offices to fund environmental projects in disadvantaged communities using Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code for the definition (CalEnviro Screen) of a disadvantaged community (DAC). Status: Awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
SB 995 (Pavley): Well Standards. Senate Bill 995 would require the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to update well standards for certain types of wells based on existing knowledge. This bill would also require DWR to establish an advisory panel to identify critical gaps in existing knowledge about the best practices for well construction, alteration, maintenance, and destruction for these wells. Status: Awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support if Amended
SB 1170 (Wieckowski): Public Contracts: Water Pollution Prevention Plans: Delegation. Senate Bill 1170 would prohibit a public entity, charter city, or charter county from delegating to a contractor the development of a plan, as defined, used to prevent or reduce water pollution or runoff on a public works contract, except as provided. The bill would also prohibit a public entity, charter city, or charter county from requiring a contractor on a public works contract that includes compliance with a plan to assume responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of a plan developed by that entity. Status: Awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
SB 1188 (McGuire): Wildlife Management Areas: Payment of Taxes and Assessments. Senate Bill 1188 will return the ‘may’ back to ‘shall’ in Fish and Game Code Section 1504 making future PILT payments required rather than permissive. Status: Placed on the Senate Appropriations Committee File. RCRC Position: Support/Sponsor
SB 1317 (Wolk): Conditional Use Permit: Groundwater Extraction Facility. Senate Bill 1317 would require a city or county overlying a basin designated as a high or medium priority basin to establish a process for the issuance of conditional use permits for the development of a groundwater extraction facility in order to prevent that facility from contributing to or creating an undesirable result. Status: Awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
SB 1396 (Wolk): Inner Coast Range Conservancy. Senate Bill 1396 would establish the Inner Coast Range Conservancy. The Inner Coast Range region as defined in the legislation includes all or part of the following counties: Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Tehama, Trinity and Yolo. Status: Awaits consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose Unless Amended