The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced AB 2215 on April 29, moving the measure forward after extended testimony for and against the bill during a hearing that also covered a long slate of other proposals.
AB 2215 would extend the Department of Water Resources’ time to fully develop its State Water Project water rights until 2046, according to the committee summary and transcript of the hearing posted by the Assembly. Supporters said the bill would preserve water reliability and affordability for 27 million Californians and help avoid higher rates, while opponents argued it would bypass the normal water-rights permitting process and could shield major future projects from full public review.
The committee’s public hearing materials show the measure drawing support from a broad coalition that included State Water Contractors, Metropolitan Water District, Three Valleys Municipal Water District, California Farm Bureau, the California Chamber of Commerce, the NAACP California State Conference and several other water agencies and business groups. Opposition testimony came from Restore the Delta, the Delta Counties Coalition, San Francisco Bay Keeper, California Water Impact Network, Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the River and others.
The available transcript and summary indicate AB 2215 received a recorded do-pass action, but the final vote tally and member-by-member votes were not fully legible in the materials reviewed. The committee materials also say the bill would preserve DWR’s State Water Project water-rights development window until 2046, with the original request to the State Water Board dating to 2009 and contracts for the state project extending through 2085.
The hearing audio is available here.