Senator Anna Caballero, D-Merced, was unable to garner enough votes from her colleagues in the Assembly to pass her water bill.
Caballero authored a set of provisions to make it easier for farmers and other water managers to capture flood flows for groundwater recharge. Just two hours ahead of a midnight deadline for bills on Saturday night, Senate Bill 1390 came up four votes shy of passing. Former Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood and Republican Asm. Heath Flora of Ripon cast the only dissenting votes against the bill all year.
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SB 1390 had the backing of the Almond Alliance and Sustainable Conservation, a nonprofit dedicated to working with farmers on recharge.
A handful of environmental groups, worried about Delta ecosystems and communities, made last-minute pleas for Assembly leadership to pull the measure. GOP Asm. Devon Mathis of Visalia, who abstained from voting, raised concerns SB 1390 could “tie the hands” of local officials during flood situations and charged that the legislation was not fully cooked.
