River News Now Breaking News Travel

Governor Schwarzenegger today announced that he has signed legislation that will strengthen flood protections in California.  The legislative package will lead to the development of a comprehensive Central Valley Flood Protection Plan.  It will also reform the Reclamation Board to improve efficiency, require cities and counties to increase consideration of flood risks when making land use decisions and create a new standard in flood protection for urban development in the region.

“I have always said public safety is my number one priority, and the package of bills I am signing today will tremendously strengthen flood protection in California,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.  “California’s Central Valley has thousands of miles of levees protecting millions of residents and we expect millions more in the coming decades. We want to make sure the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina do not happen here if there is an earthquake or other natural disaster.  That is why we will establish 200-year flood protection as the standard for urban developments in the Central Valley so our growth will be safe growth.”

• AB 156 by Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – Changes various provisions of the Water Code related to operation of the state-federal flood control projects in the Central Valley.
• SB 5 by Senator Mike Machado (D-Linden) – Requires the Department of Water Resources and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board to prepare and adopt a Central Valley Flood Protection Plan by 2012, and establishes flood protection requirements for local land-use decisions consistent with the Central Valley Protection Plan.
• AB 162 by Assemblymember Lois Wolk (D-Davis) - Requires cities and counties to address flood-related matters in the land use, conservation, safety, and housing elements of their general plans.
• SB 17 by Senator Dean Florez (D-Shafter) – Reforms and renames the Reclamation Board to improve proficiency, and requires development of State Plan of Flood Control for the Central Valley.
• AB 70 by Assemblymember Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) – Provides, generally, that a city or county may be required to contribute a fair and reasonable share of the increased flood liability caused by its unreasonable approval of developments following the failure of a state flood control project.
• AB 5 Assemblymember Lois Wolk (D-Davis) – Makes clarifying and technical changes to the preceding bills.