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LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	04/09/2018
Subject: The State Water Supply Infrastructure, Water Conveyance, Ecosystem and Watershed Protection and Restoration, and Drinking Water Protection act of 2018
Submitted For:	LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:	2018-08
Referral Name:	The State Water Supply Infrastructure, Water Conveyance, Ecosystem and Watershed Protection and Restoration, and Drinking Water Protection act of 2018
Presenter:	L. DeLaney	Contact:	L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097

Information

Referral History:

The Contra Costa County watershed-streams community is requesting that the Contra Costa County Supervisors endorse the Nature Heritage Institute (NHI) Fall 2018 Water Bond: State Water Supply Infrastructure, Water Conveyance, Ecosystem and Watershed Protection and Restoration, and Drinking Water Protection Act of 2018.

Over 600,000 signatures were submitted to the Secretary of State on March 6, 2018 to qualify the bond proposition to appear on the Fall 2018 ballot . An attachment compares the fall water bond against the spring parks bond.

Supervisor Burgis referred this matter to the Legislation Committee for its consideration.

Referral Update:

The California Water Infrastructure and Watershed Conservation Bond Initiative (#17-0010) may appear on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 6, 2018.

The measure would issue $8.877 billion in general obligation bonds for water infrastructure, groundwater supplies and storage, surface water storage and dam repairs, watershed and fisheries improvements, and habitat protection and restoration.

On March 13, 2018, the Secretary of State announced that signatures had been filed for the ballot initiative. As of March 22, 601,535 signatures had been filed. At least 365,880 of those signatures—about 60.8 percent—need to be valid. Counties have until April 24, 2018, to conduct a random sample of signatures.

The request for the Board of Supervisors' support for the State Water Supply Infrastructure, Water Conveyance, Ecosystem and Watershed Protection and Restoration, and Drinking Water Protection act of 2018 was conveyed by letter to Supervisor Burgis, which is attached. (Attachment A)

Also attached is a comparison provided by the California Urban Streams Partnership of the anticipated Fall 2018 bond and Proposition 68, which is set for the June 2018 ballot. (Attachment B.)

Attachment C is the Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018.

More information can be found at: https://waterbond.org/

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

CONSIDER recommending to the Board of Supervisors a position of "Support" on State Water Supply Infrastructure, Water Conveyance, Ecosystem and Watershed Protection and Restoration, and Drinking Water Protection Act of 2018.

Attachments
Attachment A: Endorsement Request Letter
Attachment B: Bond Comparison
Attachment C: Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018