Government/legislative affairs
OCWD maintains an active presence in the government arena to forge and maintain long-term, positive and proactive relationships with legislative offices to expand water reuse, advocate for the development of new water supplies, expand the use of new technologies, increase stormwater capture, among other topics.
Decisions and actions are guided by the District’s OCWD Legislative Platform and 2026 State and Federal Legislative Goals and Strategy. To view formal positions adopted by the Board on legislation by year, click the links below.
Federal legislation
- S. 322 Padilla Improve Atmospheric River Forecasts Act – Support
- H.R. 1267 Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act – Support
Federal policy
State legislation
- AB 794 CA Safe Drinking Water Act – Emergency Regulations – Oppose
- SB 599 Atmospheric Rivers – Support
- SB 601 Water Waste Discharge – Oppose
- SB 496 Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation Appeals Advisory Committee Exemptions – Support
- AB 810 Local Government Internet Websites and Email Addresses – Oppose
- SB 72 Caballero The CA Water Plan Long Term Supply Targets – Support
- AB 259 Blanca Rubio Open meetings local agencies teleconferences – Support
- SB 454 McNerney State Water Resources Control Board PFAS Mitigation Program – Support
Federal legislation
- Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act – Support
- S. 4673 Special District Grant Accessibility Act – Support
- H.R. 7944 Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act – Support
- S. 1430 Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act – Support
- H.R. 7065 To include water supply and water conservation as a primary mission of the Corps of Engineers in planning, designing, constructing, modifying, operating, and maintaining water resources development projects, and for other purposes.
State legislation
Federal legislation
- Letter to Senator Feinstein – Request Support for Water Systems PFAS CERCLA Liability Protections
- Letter to Senator Padilla – Request Support for Water Systems PFAS CERCLA Liability Protections
- Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act (H.R. 3966) – Support
- ARROW Act (S.2203): Atmospheric Rivers, Reconnaissance, Observation and Warnings Act – Support
- Letter to Representative Porter (and Kim, Steel, Correa) – Passive Receivers CERCLA Exemption
- S. 1430 (Lummis) Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act – Support
- Coalition Letter – Joint PFAS Receivers Letter on CERCLA
- Support for Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting for Water Management
State legislation
- AB 1072 (Wicks) Water conservation and efficiency: low-income residential customers – Oppose Unless Amended
- AB 1594 (Garcia) Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles: Public Agency Utilities – Support
AB 30 (Ward) Atmospheric Rivers: Research, Mitigation, and Climate Forecasting Program – Support - SB 23 (Caballero) Water supply and flood risk reduction projects: expedited permitting – Support
- AB 460 (Bauer-Kahan) State Water Resources Control Board Interim Relief – Oppose
- AB 557 (Hart) Open Meetings – Local Agencies – Teleconferences – Support
- AB 1137 (Wicks) State Water Resources Control Board Water Shortage Enforcement – Oppose
- SB 389 (Allen) State Water Resources Control Board Determination of Water Right – Watch
- SB 745 (Cortese) The Drought Resistant Building Act – Oppose Unless Amended
Policy letters
Federal legislation
- Letter to Senator Feinstein – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Senator Padilla – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Representative Correa – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Representative Kim – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Representative Levin – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Representative Lowenthal – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Representative Porter – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Representative Steel – Request Support to Address PFAS
- Letter to Senator Feinstein – Support for STREAM Act
- Letter to Congressman Calvert – H.R. 972 (Calvert) Wildlife Refuge Conservation and Recreation for the Community Act – Oppose Unless Amended
- Letter to Senator Feinstein – Request for a meeting – Western Riverside National Wildlife Refuge Act (S. 4669)
Federal policy
- Letter to Senator Padilla – Exemption from CERCLA for Water/Wastewater Agencies Cleaning PFAS
- Exemption from CERCLA language
- Letters of Support
- Letter to EPA – Proposed Designation of Perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFAS) as CERCLA Hazardous Substances
- OCWD federal legislative priorities
State funding requests
State legislation
- AB 2313 (Bloom) Water: judges and adjudications – Support
- SB 230 (Portantino) State Water Resources Control Board: Constituents of Emerging Concern in Drinking Water Program – Support if Amended
- SB 1124 (Archuleta) Public health goal: primary drinking water standard: manganese – Oppose
- AB 2419 (Bryan) – Environmental justice: federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Justice40 Oversight Committee – Oppose
- SB 1157 (Hertzberg) Urban water use objectives: indoor residential water use – Oppose Unless Amended
- AB 2078 Atmospheric Rivers Coalition Support Letter
- AB 2142 Income Taxes – Exclusion – Turf Replacement Water Conservation Program – Support
- AB 2811 (Bennett) CA Building Standards Commission – onsite reuse – Oppose Unless Amended
- AB 2041 CA Safe Drinking Water Act – Primary Drinking Water Standards – Compliance – Support
- AB 2247 (Bloom): Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) products: disclosure: publicly accessible reporting platform – Support
- AB 2108 (Rivas) Water Policy: Environmental Justice: Disadvantaged and Tribal Representation – Oppose
- SB 1157 (Hertzberg) Veto Request to Governor
Federal legislation
- S. 91 (Sinema) Special Districts Provide Essential Services Act – Support
- S. 914 (Duckworth) Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 – Support
- Letter to Senator Feinstein on Sec. 13201 of H.R. 3684 – The INVEST in America Act related to EPA new drinking water standards – Oppose
- Letter to Representative Kim on Sec. 13201 of H.R. 3684 – The INVEST in America Act related to EPA new drinking water standards – Oppose
- Letter to Senator Feinstein on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Provisions in any Final Infrastructure Act
- Letter to Representative Kim on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Provisions in any Final Infrastructure Act
- Letter to Senators Feinstein and Padilla – PFAS Amendment 2182 – Oppose
- Letter to Representative Steel HR 2467 PFAS Action Act of 2021 Oppose Unless Amended
- Letter to Representative Kim on the Fitzpatrick PFAS Standard Setting Amendment Number 860 to National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – Oppose
- Letter to Senators Feinstein and Padilla on PFAS Action Act of 2021 (H.R. 2467) and Infrastructure Act (H.R. 3684)
- Dec. 20 Letter from OCWD to Senators Feinstein and Padilla – PFAS and Safe Drinking Water Act
Federal policy
State legislation
- AB 361 (R. Rivas) Open Meetings Local Agencies Teleconferences – Support
- AB 377 (R. Rivas) Water quality: impaired waters – Oppose
- SB 223 (Dodd) Water Bill Debt Forgiveness/Shutoffs – Oppose Unless Amended
- SB 273 (Hertzberg) Water quality: municipal wastewater agencies – Support
- AB 1434 (Friedman) Urban water use objectives indoor residential water use – Oppose
- AB 339 (Lee) Open Meetings – Oppose Unless Amended
- AB 588 (E. Garcia) California Safe Drinking Water Act: Compliance – Support
- AB 652 (Friedman) Product safety: juvenile products: chemicals: perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – Support
- AB 1200 (Ting) Plant-based food packaging: cookware: hazardous chemicals – Support
State policy
Federal legislation
- Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee’s Members’ Day Hearing: Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act of 2020
- Draft Future Drought Resiliency Act of 2020 – Support
- Renewal of Water Resources Development Act, WRDA 2020 – Support
- HR 2 The Moving Forward Act – Support
Federal policy
- HR 535 PFAS Action Act of 2019 – Concern
- Upcoming Federal Infrastructure/Stimulus Package – PFAS Cleanup and Stormwater Capture – Funding request
- Fourth Coronavirus Response Legislation – Water & Infrastructure – Funding request
State funding
- Draft Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan – Comments
- SB 45 (Allen) Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking Water, Drought Preparation, and Flood Protection Bond Act of 2020 – Funding request
- AB 3256 (E. Garcia) Climate risks: bond measure – Support if amended
- SB 1386 (Moorlach) Protecting Fire Hydrant System Funding – Support
State policy
- SB 414 (Caballero): The Small System Water Authority Act of 2020 – Support
- AB 2560 (Quirk) Support Letter for Senate Environmental Quality Committee – Support
- SB 996 (Portantino) State Water Resources Control Board: Constituents of Emerging Concern (EC) – Support
- AB 2178 (Levine) Emergency Services: De-Energization Definition – Support
- AB 2182 (Rubio) Emergency Backup Generators, Water and Wastewater Facilities: Exemption – Support
- SB 1099 (Dodd) Emergency Backup Generators: Critical Facilities: Exemption – Support
- AB 2560 (Quirk) Water Quality: Notification and Response Levels: Procedures – Support
- Draft 2020 Water Resiliency Portfolio – Comments
- AB 2560 Fact sheet
Contact:
Alicia Harasty
Legislative Affairs Liaison
(714) 378-8232
aharasty@ocwd.com
