Assemblymember Dodd passes Emergency Drought Relief with fellow Legislators

Thursday, March 26, 2015

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Bill Dodd voted Thursday to enact badly needed drought relief legislation. The package, which was unveiled last week by Governor Brown, Senate President pro Tem de León, and Assembly Speaker Atkins, passed with bipartisan support, and now goes to the Governor for his signature.

“The impacts of the drought have been felt especially hard in our District,” said Assemblymember Dodd. “Passing this emergency drought relief package was a critical move towards protecting our water supply, and consequently, our economic and environmental security.”

The package, totaling approximately $1 billion, expedites bond funding from Proposition 1 and earlier bonds and other funding sources to help ensure that all Californians have access to clean, sustainable water. Included in the package is the establishment of the Office of Sustainable Water Solutions designed to promote permanent and sustainable drinking water and wastewater treatment programs for smaller and disproportionately impacted communities. Additionally, the package includes water use efficiency grants for agricultural and urban water users, emergency water supply and education, support for water recycling, and critical operations to protect fish and wildlife.

Assemblymember Dodd joined with other area legislators in advocating for programs that will benefit our region and our state as a whole. Many of the communities in the 4th Assembly District should be able to take advantage of these new resources. Included in the package is $17M in emergency food aid distributed to local and regional food banks for agricultural areas with high unemployment due to drought and idled farmworkers, including Lake, Yolo, and Colusa Counties.

“We need to ensure clean water is available in the midst of this drought and any future droughts. This package will work to address immediate problems and get started on major projects, like water recycling,” Dodd said. “I will be working with my colleagues to evaluate these efforts and take further action to protect our economy and our environment through this drought and future droughts.”

Bill Dodd represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Yolo, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano, and Colusa Counties.

CONTACT: Ezrah Chaaban, (916) 319-2004