Wolk leads efforts on flood management

Assemblywoman working with Governor to move legislative package

Assemblymember Wolk has committed to work closely with the Governor and Assemblymember Laird to craft a complete flood management package comprised of AB 802 (Wolk) and AB 1665 (Laird), which both passed out of committee with an 8-4 vote and will next be heard in Assembly Appropriations.

“With California’s continued growth, we cannot afford to ignore the issue of poorly-planned land use in flood-prone areas,” said Assemblywoman Wolk. “The State is already suffering the burden of liability for ineffective planning and failed flood protection, as exemplified in the Southern California floods this summer. We are at a critical juncture, and must act now to avoid the kind of short-sighted planning that has cost too many Californians their homes or lives.”

Wolk introduced AB 802 to improve the relationship between land-use planning and water resource planning. However, when the Governor's flood management package did not address land-use, Wolk amended her bill to add flood management considerations to general plans. Recent reports from the California Floodplain Management Task Force and the Legislative Analyst's Office have emphasized the importance of addressing the land-use aspect of flood management. Wolk pushed AB 802, which is endorsed by the Sierra Club and the California Farm Bureau, through the Local Government Committee and her own Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee to ensure that this land-use issue would be addressed as part of the larger flood management debate now before the Legislature.

“AB 802 cements the relationship between water agencies and local planning agencies to ensure that they work together in assessing available water supplies and infrastructure,” said Assemblywoman Wolk. “This bill will help California grow responsibly by addressing local flood risks at the local level. As several recent flood management reports have suggested, local agencies need to play a greater role in addressing the flood management issues before they approve projects.”

Assemblymember Laird, whose AB 1665 was Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal for a Central Valley Flood Control Assessment District, amended the bill in order to build a workable management package. As amended, AB 1665 only changes the name of the Reclamation Board and provides other language to encourage improvements in the state's flood control system.