CCKA’s 2023 Legislative Wrap-Up

November 29th, 2023

This legislative year was a big one. It began with uncertainty as thirty-four freshman legislators entered the halls of the Capitol alongside an agreement to change the Speaker of the House mid legislative session. New faces on each committee and a change of power mid-session stamped a very large question mark on how the 2023 legislative year was going to pan out. Now that Governor Newsom has signed or vetoed every bill that made its way to his desk the legislative year is over, and it is safe to say that 2023 was a wild year for the California Legislature and busy one for California Coastkeeper Alliance’s legislative advocacy.

CCKA began this year with an impressive six bill package. These bills, listed below, were aimed at protecting ecosystems, creating more affordable water, funding pollution mitigation, and better managing the state’s water resources. In other words, these bills were designed to achieve swimmable, fishable, and drinkable waters for all:

AB 655 (Petrie-Norris) – Banned an invasive species of green algae, Caulerpa sp.
AB 753 (Papan) – Ensured that penalties incurred from polluting waterways would be used to clean the areas harmed by that pollution.
AB 754 (Papan) – Required water suppliers to take a proactive approach to conservation through automatic triggers based on depleted reservoir levels.
AB 755 (Papan) – Required water suppliers to take a hard look at how the largest water users drive costs for everyone.
AB 756 (Papan) – Created a program to mitigate the impacts of 6PPD pollution, a toxic chemical lethal to salmon found in all motor vehicle tires.
AB 1337 (Wicks) – Modernized California’s water rights system by giving the State Water Board the tools it needs manage water beyond just emergency drought years.

Through our advocacy, AB 655 and AB 755 were both signed into law! And, while AB 1337 did not make it to the Governor’s desk, it has instead become a two-year bill, meaning that its march through the legislature will continue in 2024. Unfortunately, AB 756 and AB 754 died in committee due to their price tags, while AB 753 was ultimately vetoed by Governor Newsom despite bi-partisan support with no assembly member voting against the bill. Each legislative session comes with important lessons, and CCKA is already in the process of reworking our legislation and bringing them back stronger next year.

For 2024, we are excited to continue working on preventing 6PPD pollution, and AB 756 will transform into the S.A.L.M.O.N. Act, a bill that will save aquatic life from manufactured oxidized nano-chemicals. In addition, AB 1337 sparked important conversations and created incredible momentum toward bringing California’s water rights system into the 21^st century. Lastly, CCKA will continue working on reforms to allow local water agencies to equitably design customer rates that provide affordability to low-income communities while ensuring funding to address all of a communities’ utility needs.

Stay informed of our legislative work and our work to protect California’s waters by subscribing to California Coastkeeper Alliance’s monthly newsletter, becoming a lifetime member, or following us on social media: @CA_Waterkeepers.