April 28, 2015 - SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, today sent a letter to the Assembly and Senate budget subcommittee chairs for resources requesting that General Fund dollars be put in the 2015-16 state budget to fund local groundwater plans. The letter, which was signed by Democrat and Republican legislators, says using money from the Prop. 1 water bond to fund these plans will delay the release of these dollars until sometime in 2016. The text of the letter is below:
The Honorable Richard Bloom
Chairman, Assembly Budget Subcommittee #3 on Resources and Transportation
State Capitol, Room 2003
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Lois Wolk
Chairwoman, Senate Budget Subcommittee #2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation
State Capitol, Room 5114
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Using the General Fund for Local Groundwater Grants in the 2015-16 Budget
Dear Chairman Bloom and Chairwoman Wolk,
We are requesting that the funding source for the $21.3 million in the Governor’s proposed 2015-16 Budget “for grants for projects that develop and implement local groundwater plans” be shifted from Proposition 1 to the General Fund.
We are concerned that with the requirements tied to the public process for Proposition 1 grant programs, the Department of Water Resources would not be able to award grants until sometime in 2016. The delay in awarding funding is important when considering the substantial work that needs to be completed to meet the deadlines contained in the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA) for the new groundwater management requirements. This funding is critical as local agencies work together in forming local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, which has to occur prior to June 30, 2017.
The General Fund dollars can be administered by DWR through the existing Local Groundwater Assistance Program. This program has been used for more than a decade by DWR to distribute grant funding to local entities to improve local groundwater management, including the development of groundwater management plans. In the past, applicants could submit proposals for up to $250,000 in grant funding. DWR has administered eight separate grant solicitations for this program and it has been very successful in funding the development of local groundwater management plans.
If the funding is provided through the General Fund, the $21.3 million would be used to help fund efforts for local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies to organize and further develop nearly 80 groundwater sustainability plans in accordance with the new criteria established with the passage of the SGMA. This program would be a very effective way to jumpstart the implementation of the SGMA. Using the General Fund will effectively allow funded work to occur up to a year earlier than if Proposition 1 funding is used. The added time will be of great value to those meeting the deadlines established in the SGMA.
Sincerely,
/s/
The Honorable Frank Bigelow
The Honorable Henry Perea
The Honorable Tom Berryhill
The Honorable Rudy Salas
The Honorable Cathleen Galgiani
The Honorable Kristin Olsen
The Honorable Anthony Cannella
The Honorable Jim Cooper
The Honorable Jim Nielsen
The Honorable James Gallagher
The Honorable Scott Wilk
The Honorable Devon Mathis
The Honorable Ted Gaines
The Honorable Adam Gray
cc: Members of the Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees on Resources
Gabrielle Meindl, Consultant, Assembly Budget Subcommittee #3
Chris Holtz, Consultant, Assembly Republican Caucus
Catherine Freeman, Consultant, Senate Budget Subcommittee #2
Rocell Bettencourt, Consultant, Senate Republican Caucus
Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, Speaker, California State Assembly
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, Chair, Assembly Budget Committee
Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, Vice Chair, Assembly Budget Committee
Senator Kevin De León, Senate President pro Tempore
Senator Mark Leno, Chair, Senate Budget Committee
Senator Jim Nielsen, Vice Chair, Senate Budget Committee
Michael Cohen, Director, Department of Finance
***Click here to see a PDF version of the letter.
Lifelong rancher Frank Bigelow proudly represents the 5th Assembly District, which encompasses Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Placer, and Tuolumne counties and includes Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park.
