Our 2022 Priority Bill List is Here
Big Water Votes Coming Up This Week
Help Us Restore the Salton Sea
Pacific Institute Briefing: The Untapped Potential of California's Urban Water Supply
At the beginning of each new legislative year, just as bills start their journey through policy committees, Sierra Club California releases a list of our priority bills. This year’s list has arrived and is posted here.
The list includes a very small number of the bills that the Sierra Club California staff will lobby in the coming year. This list is our best assessment of which bills will require strong effort to pass or block.
Our positions on bills are determined by a committee of experienced volunteers who bring expertise about issue areas and the law to their work. Once a year, after the bill introduction deadline, these volunteers review bills and finalize positions.
Our staff recommends positions for bills, but the volunteer legislative committee has the final word. The committee members are careful to ensure that the positions we take are consistent with Sierra Club policy, are in the best interest of the planet, and will support equity and environmental justice.
The legislature moves rapidly between now and early September when this year’s session ends. Periodically, we will be updating the priority list. To stay on top of the list as it is updated, keep an eye on the legislation page on our website.
How can volunteers use this list most effectively?
One way is to write a letter or email to your legislators and share a few bills from the list that you are most concerned about.
Another is to coordinate with your local chapter’s political committee to become part of an in-district lobbying effort. You can learn more about in-district advocacy on our website.
As always, monitor your inbox for emails from us alerting you to the progress of some of the listed bills and urging you to act by sending an email or making a call. Your calls and emails make a difference, so please do take action when you can
Two major water agencies will be taking significant votes this week that will affect California’s water policy and we will need your help to make sure they vote to protect the environment!
In Southern California, on Tuesday, April 12 at 12pm, the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) will be voting to fund the next phase of planning for Sites Reservoir- with $20 million of ratepayer money. In the same meeting, MWD will also be voting on their 2023-24 budget, which includes a 16-17% increase in water rates. 2% of this increase alone will go to pay for an environmentally destructive tunnel - the Delta Conveyance project (aka the Delta tunnel).
The public has opposed this tunnel for decades because it will damage the important biodiversity of the Bay-Delta region, while costing ratepayers up to $40 billion. Sites Reservoir is the tunnel’s sister project, storing water that will flow through the tunnel. Importantly, neither project will provide a new source of water for the area.
Click here to RSVP, receive talking points, instructions, and learn more about the votes in Southern California.
In Northern California, the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) Board of Directors will be voting on whether or not to approve the next phase of funding for the Delta Conveyance Project at their next board meeting - which also happens to be on Tuesday, April 12 at 1pm.
If passed, Valley Water could approve up to $6.9 million of funding over the next two years for planning and design costs for the Delta tunnel, without even looking at the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project first. The Item is number 5.1 on the agenda.
The Department of Water Resources is scheduled to release the draft EIR for the Delta tunnel project this Spring - likely in May or June. Taking this vote now in April before the draft EIR has even been released to the public not only puts the cart before the horse, but is also grossly negligible and irresponsible of Valley Water to make extreme funding decisions before they have had adequate time to review the project and understand what it is they will actually be voting on.
The Delta Conveyance project is an expensive and environmentally destructive project that will not provide new water in a time of climate change. Send a message now to the Valley Water Board of Directors and make a public comment at the meeting on Tuesday to urge them to vote NO on funding the next phase of the Delta tunnel project.
The state has an important role to play in restoring and protecting the Salton Sea, and you can be a part of that.
The Salton Sea is an important stopping point for migratory birds traveling the Pacific Flyway. Until recently, irrigation runoff maintained the lake’s water levels, while simultaneously dumping pesticides, fertilizer, and other pollutants into the Sea.
Declining inflows, combined with climate change impacts, are shrinking the Sea, concentrating pollutants and exposing the lakebed, known as playa. As winds pick up the toxic playa, it pollutes the air and causes high levels of asthma-like symptoms and other illnesses in the nearby community. All of this has culminated in a public health and ecological crisis.
The California Natural Resources Agency is working to find solutions to address both the public health, and fish and wildlife catastrophes at the Sea. Under an order issued by the State Water Board, CNRA is required to complete dust suppression and habitat restoration projects.
Despite the Newsom administration’s attempts at tackling the complex challenges at the Sea, projects that will improve air quality and restore bird habitats lag far behind schedule. Every year these projects fall behind, the greater the threats become for public health, communities, and wildlife.
On April 20th, the State Water Board will be holding a public workshop for CNRA to provide an update on its progress in the last year. Now is a key opportunity to tell the State Water Board and CNRA your hopes for the future of the Salton Sea.
How California addresses the crisis at the Salton Sea has important implications for issues across the state. Water supply and reliability, air quality, environmental justice, protection of biodiversity, and more are all connected to the Sea. Fixing the problems at the Sea would be a major step towards achieving a sustainable future for California. That’s why we need to make sure the Salton Sea is a top priority for the state administration, and push for greater transparency and accountability to help the communities and wildlife there.
Send a message TODAY to take a stand for the health of communities and wildlife that depend on the Salton Sea!
Pacific Institute Briefing: The Untapped Potential of California's Urban Water Supply
By Erin Woolley
Pacific Institute Briefing: The Untapped Potential of California's Urban Water Supply
As severe drought exacerbated by climate change threatens water security in California and beyond, I’d like to invite you to attend an upcoming April 12 (9am PT) Pacific Institute briefing that will present a groundbreaking new analysis related to how innovative urban water strategies - such as urban water efficiency, water reuse, and storm water capture - can provide drought relief and longer-term water resilience.
When: Tuesday, April 12 at 9am
Where: Virtual (Zoom)
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