Legislature Advances Water Rights Bills to Appropriations Committees

  • by ACWA Staff
  • Apr 26, 2023
  • Water News

Two water rights bills in which ACWA is leading a large coalition to oppose advanced out of committees Tuesday despite several ACWA members and others in the coalition, testifying to urge “No” votes. A third water rights bill advanced last week. 

AB 460 (Bauer-Kahan) passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee with a vote of 7-2-2 and moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Brian Poulson, General Counsel for El Dorado Irrigation District and Chair of ACWA’s State Legislative Committee, provided lead testimony in opposition to the bill alongside Jennifer Pierre, General Manager of the State Water Contractors. More than 20 other people testified in opposition to the bill. 

SB 389 (Allen) passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and will next moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee. While the bill narrowly advanced out of committee on a 6-3-2 vote, multiple committee members raised concerns with the bill. In particular, committee members questioned the need to hand the State Water Resources Control Board sweeping authority to investigate law-abiding water right holders.  

AB 1337 (Wicks) passed out of the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee on April 18 with amendments and will also be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

ACWA has issued Legislative Alerts urging members to join the coalition and contact local legislators to share their opposition. Talking points are available to members to assist in those conversations.  

ACWA’s State Legislative Committee has taken an oppose position on all three bills that threaten to undermine the basic foundation of water management and water delivery in California. ACWA staff is making it a top priority to stop them and is leading a coalition of water and business/economic interests in opposition of the following bills. 

Suggested Resources

15 RESOURCES prev next
Cross-Connection Control Toolkit

Sorry, but only ACWA members have permission to view this content. Member login is required.

Comment Letter: Updated Water Measurement and Reporting Revisions

To: Courtney Tyler, Clerk to the Board, State Water Resources Control Board Subject: Updated Water Measurement and Reporting Revisions Letter […]

Priority Issues Bulletin

Sorry, but only ACWA members have permission to view this content. Member login is required.

Regulatory Roundup

The following document is released each month and includes policy updates from ACWA’s Regulatory Department. Click on the below link […]

Joint Comment Letter: Request for Information – Development of a 2025 National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan

To: Faisal D’Souza, Technical Coordinator, Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Subject: Request for Information: Development of a […]

Joint Comment Letter: RFI Response and Proposal for National AI Resource Exchange (NAIREX) with Industry Partnership Framework

To: Faisal D’Souza, Technical Coordinator, Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO) Subject: RFI Response […]

Federal Legislative Matrix

Sorry, but only ACWA members have permission to view this content. Member login is required.

ACWA 2025 Spring Conference Presentations

Presentations from ACWA’s 2025 Spring Conference & Expo held May 13-15 in Monterey are available below. Please note that this […]

Comment Letter: U.S. EPA WaterSense Program

To: Kersey Manliclic, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Subject:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense Program—Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2025-012 Letter: The Association of […]

Paving Standards Best Practices

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) recognizes that all local governments would benefit from greater coordination on planned paving […]

Headwaters Videos Toolkit

ACWA has developed a suite of videos to help member agencies educate the public and lawmakers about the critical need […]

Comment Letter: Proposed Onsite Treatment and Reuse of Nonpotable Water Regulation

To: Courtney Tyler, Clerk to the Board, State Water Resources Control Board Subject: Comments — Proposed Onsite Treatment and Reuse of […]

ACWA 2025 Spring Conference Committee Meeting Resources

Resources for ACWA Committee Meetings held during ACWA’s 2025 Spring Conference & Expo are available below.  UPCOMING ACWA EVENTS FLYER […]

Comment Letter: Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation/AB 1594 Amendments

To: Ms. Liane Randolph, Chair, California Air Resources Board Subject: Comment Letter: Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation/AB 1594 Amendments Letter Excerpt:  […]

Joint Comment Letter: Need for Extension of BioMAT Program

To: The Honorable Gavin Newsom Subject: Need for Extension of BioMAT Program Letter Excerpt: We are writing on behalf of […]

Suggested News

15 Articles prev next
CVWD Completes Critical Pipeline Project in Eastern Coachella Valley

CVWD celebrates the completion of the Avenue 66 Transmission Main Project, also known as the Saint Anthony Mobile Home Park […]

Annual Report Shows PWD’s Water Quality Met All Drinking Water Standards

PALMDALE – Palmdale Water District (PWD) customers wanting detailed information about their water quality can now access the newest Consumer […]

Regulation on State, Local Fleets Still in Effect

President Donald Trump signed three measures on June 12 to block California’s Clean Air Act Waivers to administer California Air […]

Yuba Water Announces Watercraft Screening at New Bullards Bar

MARYSVILLE – Yuba Water Agency announced today that it will launch a new watercraft screening pilot program later this summer […]

MWDOC Scouts Clinics Educate Orange County Youth and Their Families

The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) hosted four water education clinics that taught more than 100 Orange County […]

Trump Administration Releases Detailed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 30, 2025, the Trump administration released a supplemental appendix to its Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal. The […]

New Member Resources Available

Members can access two new resources developed through the ACWA Local Government Committee. A “Paving Standards Best Practices” describes the […]

San Gorgonio Pass Cutting Ribbon on New Heli-Hydrant

CABAZON — Last summer, San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) joined forces with local agencies to coordinate the critical Heli-Hydrant […]

Toolkit Helps Educate About Cross-Connection Control

SACRAMENTO — ACWA has partnered with California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA) and other associations to distribute a new toolkit to […]

ACWA Urging Members to Support Preserving Federal Water Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. — ACWA is encouraging member agencies to contact their elected officials in the U.S. Congress and urge them […]

Lights, Camera, Splash! Mesa Water Names Winners of Student Video Contest

COSTA MESA — Mesa Water District (Mesa Water®) is proud to congratulate young filmmakers from Costa Mesa High School for […]

Helix Water District Recognized as a Certified Green Business

LA MESA – Leaders from Helix Water District, a public water utility serving 278,000 people in San Diego’s east county […]

June 2025 Priority Issues Update Now Available

The June 2025 Priority Issues Update is now available online to members. The update is a summary of the latest […]

ACWA Conference Recordings Available

SACRAMENTO — Video and audio recordings of keynotes and selected programs from the ACWA 2025 Spring Conference & Expo will […]

Tribe, Water Districts Reach Water Rights Settlement

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) and Desert Water Agency (DWA) have reached an […]