Several critical water bills that we are tracking at Restore the Delta were heard in the Legislature this week – here are some key updates.
SB 872 Passes Through Committee
SB 872, a bill that would dedicate $300 million annually to address two major threats to California’s water supply, aging levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and sinking canals in the State Water Project (SWP), passed the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee with unanimous approval.
We’re excited by the bill’s passage out of committee. Thank you to Senator McNerney for advancing legislation that prioritizes safeguarding California’s water supplies, protecting critical infrastructure, and preparing the state’s water system for future challenges. SB 872 will next be heard in the Committee on Appropriations.
AB 2215 is Pulled from Committee
In another positive development for the Delta, AB 2215 has been pulled from committee and is no longer advancing this legislative session. We thank our supporters and coalition partners for their work to stop the extension of water rights for the Delta Conveyance Project. We also appreciate the Senate Natural Resources and Water for carefully examining the bill’s implications and holding firm on amendments that returned it to the appropriate regulatory pathway. This outcome reinforces that the Department of Water Resources and the State Water Contractors must follow the same established regulatory processes as all other water rights holders.
AB 2218 Passes Through Committee
AB 2218, a bill that seeks to address inequities in California water policy inflicted on California Native tribes, passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. AB 2218 will next be heard in the Committee on Appropriations.
As California faces growing climate-driven challenges, policymakers and communities increasingly recognize that equitable and sustainable water management must incorporate Tribal rights, traditional ecological knowledge, and Tribal governance. AB 2218 directs state agencies to strengthen consultation with Tribes during water rights investigations and develop policies that address water related harms resulting from state-sanctioned termination, removal, and assimilation of California Native American tribes.
AB 2026 Advances
Unfortunately, one problematic bill did advance through committee. AB 2026 is not the narrow groundwater recharge measure its supporters describe. Instead, it creates broad new pathways to divert already-over allocated surface water, weakens public and environmental review, and shifts risk onto rivers, Delta communities, salmon, Tribes, and existing water users.
Restore the Delta supports responsible groundwater recharge, but AB 2026 is the wrong approach. We will continue to monitor the bill’s progress and advocate for groundwater recharge policies that are guided by science and administered through the State Water Board’s established regulatory framework, not through broad statutory shortcuts that bypass water-rights, fish and wildlife protections, and the public interest.
Quotes from Restore the Delta and partners:
Cintia Cortez, Policy Program Manager, Restore the Delta:
“This week, the California Legislature made progress on timely investments to protect Delta residents and water supply, and addressing inequities inflicted upon California Native tribes, while standing firm against interference in the water rights process. We urge the legislature to stand with community and Tribal interests and move away from policies that perpetuate ongoing inequities in California water management.”
Barry Nelson, Senior Policy Advisor, Golden State Salmon Association:
“Supporters of AB 2026 claim that it is designed to recharge groundwater and protect the environment. The truth is the bill is cynically written to allow enormous increases in pumping during the juvenile salmon migration season even when river conditions are dry. The bill could cause serious additional damage to salmon runs and the fishing industry that is struggling to recover after the mismanagement of our rivers during the last drought. The State Water Board must set science-based standards to require river flows needed to protect the environment and salmon jobs. That will allow us to properly identify the rare times when there is excess water in the system.”
Chris Shutes, Executive Director, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance:
“We are very pleased that the author pulled AB 2215. The State Water Project now has to continue normal public process and environmental review to get the right to divert more water from the Delta. We are grateful to Senate committee staff for pushing back on the potential precedent of overriding the water rights process through legislation. We are also grateful to all those who visited so many offices to educate senate staff about this very bad bill.”
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