PCL WATER TEAM BATTING .500 AT MIDSEASON IN CAPITOL BALLGAME

Today marks the deadline for bills in the California Legislature to move out of their first house. Both the Senate and Assembly beat the deadline by two days, wrapping up their voting on Wednesday to bring the first half of the 2008 legislative session to a close.

PCL's water program has come out of the first house batting a respectable .500, with one of the bills that we are sponsoring sent along to its second house and the other turned into a "two-year bill" after facing pernicious opposition from the California Building Industry Association.

SB 565 (Pavley) successfully passed out of the Senate Wednesday afternoon and will soon be considered by Assembly policy committees. The measure directs the State Water Resources Control Board, in consultation with stakeholders and the Department of Public Health, to develop a plan to recycle and safely put to beneficial use fifty percent of the wastewater that is currently discharged to bays and the ocean. With climate change, drought, and ecosystem needs limiting traditional water supplies, communities are challenged to maintain reliable water supplies for existing residents and accommodate new growth. Yet throughout California, millions of gallons of potentially recyclable water are discharged to the ocean and bays every day - providing no value to the ecosystem or other beneficial users. SB 565 will contribute to the development of about two million acre feet of new, drought-resilient, reliable water in California. It's supported by environmental groups, fishing groups, and the Sonoma County Water Agency.

AB 1408 (Krekorian) did not receive enough votes to move to the second house and will be available for consideration by the Legislature again next year. The measure outlines a program to facilitate water neutral development by allowing developers to offset new demand by funding water-efficiency measures for existing homeowners in their community. This unique bill would offer significant benefits both for improving our water supply and alleviating the housing slump. Imagine new homes that need no additional water supplies and raise the standard for the area's current housing stock. AB 1408 places emphasis on increasing water efficiency in low-income homes by reserving a portion of the offset investments for those customers. 

PCL and our AB 1408 co-sponsor, East Bay Municipal Utility District, emerges from this floor session with a reaffirmed interest in making water neutral development a reality in California. This campaign will grow over the next several months as we employ new strategies to put this policy on the books. 

Check out all the press AB 1408 received throughout the session: AlterNet, Sacramento Bee, Merced Sun Journal.

Thanks to all of you who helped us in our efforts to move these policies forward! 

AYE, AYE CAP'N: LEGISLATURE'S RECORD ON ENVIRONMENT GOOD AT MIDWAY MARK

Many other key environmental bills were also taken up for votes in the Assembly or Senate this week. For the most part, the environment and public health fared very well.

This list includes some of the top environmental bills that have made their way over to the next house for consideration:

AB 13 (Salas) - Creates a Delta Conservancy to oversee and coordinate necessary habitat restoration efforts in the San Francisco Bay Delta. Well-planned and implemented habitat restoration is needed to ensure both the environmental and water supply sustainability of the Delta region. (Ayes 50, Noes 26)

AB 49 (Feuer & Huffman) - Implements the Governor's call for legislation to require that urban per capita water use be reduced by 20% by 2020 by offering urban water agencies three different methods to calculate their targets, and allowing targets to be met on an individual agency or regional basis. The bill would also require agricultural users to implement best management practices and report on water savings. (Ayes 43, Noes 30)

AB 64 (Krekorian and Bass) - Would set a 33% renewable energy target for utilities, meaning each utility would have to get one-third of its power from renewable sources like wind and solar. (Ayes 44, Noes 31)

AB 226 (Ruskin) - Gives the California Coastal Commission the ability to impose administrative penalties on people found to be violating the California Coastal Act. (Ayes 47, Noes 31)

AB 291 (Saldaña) - Requires that people seeking a Coastal Development Permit resolve any outstanding violations of the Coastal Act on the property prior to issuance of, or as part of, the new permit. (Ayes 44, Noes 29)

AB 920 (Huffman) - Requires utilities to compensate owners of solar or other small renewable energy systems, like wind, for any surplus electricity generated on a yearly basis. (Ayes 51, Noes 26)

AB 1405 (De León/M. Pérez) - Establishes a Community Benefits Fund to direct a portion of revenues from AB 32 implementation to help Californians who are least able to confront the expected impacts of the climate crisis at the local level. (Ayes 45, Noes 30)

SB 372 (Kehoe) - Requires that alterations or modifications to state parks that are inconsistent with park purposes be enacted only upon an act of the Legislature, preceded by a recommendation from the California State Park and Recreation Commission. (Ayes 21, Noes 16)

SB 505 (Kehoe) - Requires the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to update its "Fire Hazard Planning" document and directs local governments to also revise the safety element for certain areas while taking into account the advice contained within OPR's "Fire Hazard Planning" document. (Ayes 24, Noes 15)

SB 555 (Kehoe) - Provides some protection for public investments in conservation easements by requiring condemning agencies to communicate their intent to condemn to the easement holder and demonstrate that the public value of their project warrants the condemnation. (Ayes 22, Noes 14)

SB 797 (Pavley) - Limits the amount of the toxic chemical and synthetic estrogen bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, sippy cups, infant formula cans, and baby food jars. (Ayes 21, Noes 16)

SB 679 (Wolk) - Requires that lands used as state parks cannot be used for non-park purposes without an act of the Legislature and the provision of substitute lands of equal environmental and fair market value. (Ayes 22, Noes 15)

A few bills did not receive sufficient votes to move on and will await reconsideration in January 2010. Those bills include:

AB 1358 (Nava, Hill) - Bans the use of polystyrene food takeout containers in favor of more sustainable alternatives. At least 20 local governments have adopted similar bans and have seen a significant reduction in polystyrene litter. This measure was not taken up for vote.

SB 31 (Pavley) - Gives the California Air Resources Board legislative guidance on how to spend revenue from a greenhouse gas reduction compliance program.

SB 518 (Lowenthal) - Eliminates state subsidies for parking construction or operations and will require local jurisdictions within Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to adopt a number of parking reforms by 2012 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Discover the fate of other important environmental legislation here.

FLYING COLORS - PCL'S BARRERA PASSES BAR

PCL intern Linda Barrera just passed the California Bar Exam. A native of Panama, Barrera found a Panamanian judge in Sacramento to conduct her swearing-in ceremony. Barrera joins a long tradition of attorneys in the PCL family. Felicidades!