Support Letters Needed on ACWA-Supported Water Bond Bills

  • by BPC Staff
  • on April 17, 2014
  • 0 Comments

Support Letters Needed on ACWA-Supported Water Bond Bills

Hearings Set in Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee and
Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
 

With action heating up on a modified water bond for the 2014 ballot, ACWA is actively supporting two bills expected to be heard April 29 in two different committees.

The bills – AB 2686 by Assembly Member Henry Perea (D-Fresno) and SB 1250 by Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) – closely reflect ACWA’s proposal for a modified water bond. It is critical that both measures advance when they are heard in their first policy committees on April 29.

ACWA has been working over the past several months to develop one or more bills consistent with ACWA’s Board-adopted direction for a modified 2014 water bond. AB 2686 and SB 1250 are the first bills to meet that objective.

The goal now is to get one or more ACWA-supported bills through both houses of the Legislature with a 2/3 vote and onto the Governor’s desk. ACWA is working with a broad coalition to secure final, bipartisan action on an ACWA-supported bond bill before the Legislature adjourns for summer recess on July 3.

Action Requested

The need for a comprehensive water bond has never been more urgent. California remains locked in a severe drought, and public awareness and concern about water are at an all-time high. Now is the time to act.

ACWA urges its members to send support letters on AB 2686 and SB 1250 to the committees that will hear the bills on April 29. ACWA members whose Assembly or Senate representative serves on the committees are urged to make personal contacts with their representatives and ask for their support.

See below for further details.

AB 2686 (Perea) – Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee

AB 2686, set to be heard in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, would replace the existing $11.14 billion water bond set for the November 2014 ballot with a new measure authorizing more than $9 billion in funding for key water supply reliability and safe drinking water programs. The proposed funding levels in AB 2686 are either identical to those proposed by ACWA or very close.

For example, the bill proposes $3 billion for water storage, continuously appropriated, and $2.25 billion for Delta sustainability. It also proposes $1 billion for Integrated Regional Water Management Projects, just under the $1.1 billion ACWA has proposed for that category. Funding amounts for recycling/desalination and groundwater unspecified for now, and the final numbers likely will be determined in discussions with legislative leadership.

SB 1250 (Hueso) – Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee

SB 1250 by Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) will be heard in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. As proposed to be amended, the bill would replace the existing $11.14 billion water bond with a $9.4 billion measure that is highly consistent with ACWA’s proposal.

The measure proposes funding levels that are identical to ACWA’s proposal for the critical funding categories of Delta sustainability ($2.25 billion) and water storage ($3 billion, continuously appropriated). The chapters that include those categories are based on the current version of the bond set for the November 2014 ballot. The bill also includes chapters on groundwater and recycled water that are based on language suggested by ACWA.

Take Action Now

Please take the following actions to advance these water bond bills now.

  1. Click here to edit and send the sample letter below on AB 2686 to members of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, and click here to send the letter on SB 1250 to the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.  Please be sure to edit the sections of the letter, including the body of the message, referencing your agency name. Letter should be sent to no later than April 22. 

    A list of committee members is also provided below for your reference. Please be sure to send a blind copy of your letters to ACWA by emailing to mariem@acwa.com.
     

  2. If your elected Senate or Assembly member serves on one of the above committees, please make a personal phone call or contact to ask for their support. This is critical to showing legislators that water agencies in their districts support a responsible and comprehensive water bond as proposed in AB 2686 and SB 1250. 

Members of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee

Assembly Member Travis Allen
Fax: (916)-319-2172

Assembly Member Frank Bigelow, Vice Chair
Fax: (916) 319-2105

Assembly Member Raul Bocanegra
Fax: (916) 319-2139

Assembly Member Brian Dahle
Fax: (916) 319-2101

Assembly Member Paul Fong
Fax: (916) 319-2128

Assembly Member Jim Frazier
Fax: (916) 319-2111

Assembly Member Beth Gaines
Fax: (916) 319-2106

Assembly Member Mike Gatto
Fax: (916) 319-2143

Assembly Member Jimmy Gomez
Fax: (916) 319-2151

Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez
Fax: (916) 319-2180

Assembly Member Adam Gray
Fax: (916) 319-2121

Assembly Member Jim Patterson
Fax: (916) 319-2123

Assembly Member Anthony Rendon, Chair
Fax: (916) 319-2163

Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez
Fax: (916) 319-2152

Assembly Member Mariko Yamada
Fax: (916) 319-2104

Tina Canon Leahy, Principal Consultant, Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee
Fax: (916) 319-2096

Steve McCarthy, Consultant, Assembly Republican Caucus
Fax: (916) 319-3902

 

Members of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee

Senator Anthony Cannella, Vice Chair
Fax: (916) 651-4912

Senator Noreen Evans
Fax: (916) 651-4902

Senator Jean Fuller
Fax: (916) 651-4918

Senator Ben Hueso
Fax: (916) 651-4940

Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson
Fax: (916) 651-4919

Senator Ricardo Lara
Fax: (916) 651-4933

Senator William Monning
Fax: (916) 651-4917

Senator Fran Pavley, Chair
Fax: (916) 651-4927

Senator Lois Wolk
Fax: (916) 651-4903

Dennis O’Connor
Principal Consultant, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
Fax:  (916) 323-2232

Todd Moffit
Consultant, Senate Republican Caucus
Fax:  (916) 414-3681

Sample Support Letter on AB 2686 (Perea)

April<Date>, 2014

The Honorable <Insert Name Here>
Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee
State Capitol, Room <Insert #>
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: AB 2686 (Perea) – Support

Dear Assembly Member <Insert Name>,

On behalf of <Insert Agency Name Here>, I am writing to express our strong support for Assembly Bill 2686 (Perea), which would replace the existing $11.14 water bond on the November 2014 ballot with a new water bond measure known as the Clean, Safe and Reliable Water Supply Act of 2014.

AB 2686 would authorize critically needed funding achieve the coequal goals of a more reliable water supply for California and improved ecosystem health in the Delta. The measure proposes appropriate levels of funding for water conservation, water storage, Delta sustainability, groundwater cleanup, water recycling and other programs that are essential to the state’s water future.

The need for a comprehensive water bond has never been more urgent. California remains locked in a severe drought, and public awareness and concern about water are at an all-time high. Now is the time to act and place a responsible bond before voters this November.

AB 2686 is supported by a broad coalition of organizations and has all the elements for a successful water bond in 2014.

<Insert Agency Name Here> encourages all members of the Legislature to work together on a bipartisan basis to advance a success bond this year. We support AB 2686 and respectfully request your “AYE” vote when the bill is heard in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

Sincerely,

Name
Position
Agency Name

 

cc: The Honorable Henry Perea
Tina Cannon Leahy, Principal Consultant, Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee
Steve McCarthy, Consultant, Assembly Republican Caucus

 

Sample Support Letter on SB 1250 (Hueso)

April<Date>, 2014

The Honorable <Insert Name Here>
Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
State Capitol, Room <Insert #>
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: SB 1250 (Hueso) – Support

Dear Senator <Insert Name>,

On behalf of <Insert Agency Name Here>, I am writing to express our strong support for Senate Bill 1250 (Hueso), which would replace the existing $11.14 water bond on the November 2014 ballot with a new $9.4 billion measure known as the Safe, Clean and Reliable Water Supply Act of 2014.

SB 1250 would authorize critically needed funding achieve the coequal goals of a more reliable water supply for California and improved ecosystem health in the Delta. The measure proposes appropriate levels of funding for water storage, Delta sustainability, groundwater cleanup and other local programs such as water conservation and recycling that are all essential to the state’s water future.

The need for a comprehensive water bond has never been more urgent. California remains locked in a severe drought, and public awareness and concern about water are at an all-time high. Now is the time to act and place a responsible bond before voters this November.

SB 1250 is supported by a broad coalition of organizations and has all the elements for a successful water bond in 2014.

<Insert Agency Name Here> encourages all members of the Legislature to work together on a bipartisan basis to advance a success bond this year. We support SB 1250 and respectfully request your “AYE” vote when the bill is heard in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

Sincerely,

Name
Position
Agency Name

 

cc: The Honorable Ben Hueso
Dennis O’Connor, Principal Consultant, Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
Todd Moffit, Consultant, Senate Republican Caucus