Hurtado pulls SB 559 from Assembly floor

Once again as has been the case many times an effort to fully fund repairs for Central California’s major water sources has been put on hold.

Due to amendments that were placed on her bill, Senate Bill 559, State Senator Melissa Hurtado, D-sanger, whose district includes Porterville, has pulled the bill from the State Assembly Floor.

SB 559 — The State Water Resiliency Act of 2021 — could eventually provide $785 million for repairs locally to the Friant-kern Canal, the Delta-mendota Canal and the California Aqueduct. There would be $308 million from the bill that would go to the repairs of the Friantkern Canal.

SB 559 passed out of the Senate Appropriates Committee on August 26. But it passed with amendments that would place the State Department of Water Resources consulting with the Department of Fish and Wildlife in charge of the administration of the bill’s funding. That would for those departments to follow various guidelines and conduct studies in order for funding to be allocated.

“These requirements will further complicate the process and the fund disbursement, slowing construction on the state’s water conveyance canals,” Hurtado’s office said.

The amendments also no longer provide specific funding allocations as introduced in SB 559. Congressman Jim Costa and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein have companion legislation in Congress for the canals’ repairs.

“Western States are at war with climate change driven drought,” Hurtado said. “The situation continues to worsen, and solutions for us to adapt are clear. The cries for help from communities that are running out of water and from struggling farmers wasn’t enough to stop forced Assembly amendments to a sound solution.

It is unfortunate, but I will not add further pain to struggling farmworkers and communities. For this reason — I am withholding SB 559 for a vote this session. I’m disappointed, but will keep pushing to secure adequate funding for water infrastructure, and I hope to further inform my colleagues on the consequences of drought — namely food insecurity and water shortages as I chair hearings on the Select Committee on Human Security.”

In May, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed $200 million to help repair the canals. In the budget ultimately adopted by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, $100 million was allocated to fixing the Friant-kern and Deltamendota Canals and the California Aqueduct.

Initial repairs on a 33-mile stretch of the Friant-kern Canal from between Lindsay and Strathmore to north Kern County are set to begin. A mix of state, federal and local funding is being used to fund the repairs.