Intense activity continues in the legislature as the Senate and Assembly move closer to a water deal.  Discussions will continue into next week, with a possible vote.

Legislation introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg addresses policy proposal on water conservation, groundwater reporting and water rights enforcement. Separate water bond proposals were introduced by Democrats and Republicans earlier this week:  http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=ydgw3dwvc41ngd

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News from Sacramento continues to report some progress on a water agreement, with some anticipation of votes in the Legislature next week, according to an update from Capitol Weekly.

Compromise is close with issues that include areas of origin, which refers to the transportation of water from northern to southern California, along with legal definitions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. A Mercury News report charts many of the remaining policy disagreements.

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The Assembly informational hearing on the 2009 Delta Water Legislation is now tentatively scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2009.  The Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee is still considering whether to proceed on its own with a hearing tomorrow, October 21.  Next week’s hearing most likely will include both the Senate and Assembly.

Officials have currently been discussing possible solutions for energy and water conservation plans in the surrounding area of Diamond Valley Lake. The current consideration is to build a 400-acre solar farm in which the revenue would fund the production of an international institute bringing together intelligent minds throughout the world to devise solutions relating to water and energy. Already, officials from organizations such as UC Santa Barbara, Chevron Energy Solutions, and even Australia and South Korea have shown interest in partnering with Metropolitan Water District.

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Governor Schwarzenegger and legislators have been meeting behind closed doors for the last several weeks to reconcile economic and policy differences over the Delta, but this week, more information is being made public.

The Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee will convene Wednesday at 10 a.m. for an informational hearing; additionally, Senators and Members are expected to receive updated bill language as soon as possible. If all goes as planned, Senate hearings will also begin this week. The details of the Delta Bill Package are highly anticipated. As of last week, several issues were delaying bipartisan consensus, according to a report by the Sacramento Bee.

Big 5

After special sessions in Sacramento this week, bill language for the Delta Bill Package is still being fine-tuned as legislators and the Governor struggle to come to bipartisan consensus. Neither the Senate nor the Assembly will convene next week, but Caucus meetings will tentatively be held by the week of October 26.

Lawmakers are working from SB 68 (Steinberg), which includes legislation on Delta governance, habitat restoration, water rights, groundwater storage, and conservation. The proposed fiscal impact of these policies is a $9.4 billion General Obligation bond, the details of which have not been released.

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While they expressed optimism of reaching a deal by the end of the weekend, California’s water crisis is still unresolved. The Governor and bipartisan legislative leaders, known as the Big 5, is reconvening in Sacramento today in a special session on water. Several issues are still being debated, including how to pay for infrastructure improvements; water storage and conveyance; conservation strategies; and negotiating a balance between water rights.

Once they’ve emerged from these closed-door sessions with an agreement, it will be up to the Big 5 to persuade their fellow legislators of the plan’s merits; a two-thirds majority vote is required in order to pass proposed bond measures of this kind. See the Sacramento Bee report.

On September 1, Governor Schwarzenegger appealed to federal authorities to lift environmental regulations, and a $750,000 national study, bolstered by Senator Feinstein, is being conducted to assess conservation regulations. According to his spokesman, the Governor may consider calling a special session of the legislature to more immediately address the crisis.

Thursday, October 1, 2009 marks a new water year continuing through September 30, 2010, will we continue a fourth year of drought? Two-thirds of our state’s major reservoirs are at 50 percent capacity or lower (at 20 percent of capacity, San Luis Reservoir is the most parched) and with 250,000 acres of farmland idling and thousands out of work, lawmakers struggle to reconcile the economic and environmental impacts of the water shortage.

Average precipitation has fallen short in the last three years, reaching only 63 to 78 percent of what our state needs. These numbers are compounded by environmental protections limiting water delivery, as key areas like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are home to endangered fish populations.