Partnership backs two local SGV water bills in Sacramento

IRWINDALE - This week, the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership supported two key water bills that address major water-related concerns here in the San Gabriel Valley. Water is a vital issue for all of southern California and the San Gabriel Valley has long been an innovative industry leader on water policy in the state.

The first bill is AB 1093 carried by Asm. Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), which will help city and county governments who are struggling to comply with rigorous and expensive state and federal stormwater regulations. AB 1093 requires the State Water Resources Control Board to develop Financial Capability Assessment guidelines for local governments striving to comply with the federal Clean Water Act. The bill also requires the Los Angeles Regional Water Board to adjust the guidelines in light of the financial capability assessments.

"AB 1093 is an extremely important bill that will help local cities that are struggling to obey very expensive stormwater regulations," said Bill Manis, Partnership President and CEO. "The State of California's water regulatory agencies need to provide some financial flexibility to cities to meet these regulations. You can't expect to capture more rainwater if a town goes bankrupt."

The Partnership also supported SB 413 by Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) and sponsored by the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, a Partnership member. With many cities moving their elections from odd-years to even years in order to coincide with midterm and presidential elections, the result is that seats on local water agencies may have to be filled by special elections because they now conflict with elections to the Water Quality Authority. SB 413 addresses this significant problem by moving the Water Quality Authority elections to odd-numbered years.