EXHIBIT 17-E
FINAL MINUTES Legislative Advocacy Committee of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District October 9, 2013
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 am in the MPWMD conference room.
Committee members present:		David Potter, Chair
		Robert S. Brower, Sr.
		Judi Lehman
Staff members present:		David J. Stoldt, General Manager
		Arlene Tavani, Executive Assistant
District Counsel present:		David C. Laredo
Consultant present:		John Arriaga, JEA and Associates
Guest present:		Mario Santoyo, Executive Director of the California Latino Water Coalition
Comments from the Public:		No comments.
Presentation
1.	Mario Santoyo, Executive Director of the California Latino Water Coalition will speak on the 2014 California Water Bond
	Santoyo introduced himself as Vice President of Clean Water and Jobs for California, and Assistant General Manager for the Friant Water Authority. He reviewed a document developed by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) titled Three Distinct Proposals on the Table, that compared three water bond proposals: ACWA, SB 42 and AB 1331. Santoyo stated that SB 42 did not include funding for the Twin Tunnels/Delta Plan, so there was not much interest in the proposal and it likely would not be approved by the legislature for placement on the ballot. The AB 1331 plan was supported by the Latino Water Coalition. The title was Clean Water and Jobs for California because the focus was construction of water infrastructure which would create jobs, and also improve the economy. The bill was undergoing review to remove non water-related earmarks. The water resources section of the bill would be of most interest to the Water Management District. The Latino Water Coalition would like to be advised if the Water Management District determines more money should be included for local projects. It was important to ensure equity in distribution of funds throughout the state, since the Water Management District perceived that the central region of the state historically had not received funding. Santoyo stated that the Water Management District should be working with Assemblyperson Alejo on further development of the bill. The $6.5 billion funding limit of AB 1331 was too low. A special allocation of funds for desalination projects should also be added. A fair formula for distribution of funds must be developed, other than a per-capita methodology. Stoldt asked if the Latino Water Coalition would join the Water Management District in its efforts to modify the CDO, as the proposed water production cutbacks would severely stifle the visitor serving industry. Santoyo agreed to work with the Water Management District on achieving modifications to the CDO.
Action Items
2.	Adopt Minutes of March 22, 2012 and July 10, 2013 Committee Meetings
	On a motion by Brower and second of Lehman, the minutes were approved unanimously on a vote of 3 – 0 by Potter, Brower and Lehman.
Discussion Items
3.	Strategy and Timeline for Legislation re Public Contribution Towards Financing Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project
	Stoldt reviewed the staff note. Senator Bill Monning has agreed to author the legislation, and has advised that the bill will be presented to the Senate Utilities and Commerce committee and the Energy, Utilities and Communications committee. Legislative Counsel has reviewed the draft legislation. Monning has insisted that the Water Management District conduct extensive public outreach on the legislation, so staff has developed a public outreach plan. Cal-Am has agreed to work with the Water Management District on lobbying efforts to promote the legislation. Arriaga suggested that the Water Management District obtain letters of support for the legislation from jurisdictions within the District. Potter suggested that Stoldt contact the local realtors associations and chambers of commerce as they have state lobbying organizations that could help with this effort.
4.	Legislative Status and Tracking from John Arriaga
	Arriaga reported the following. The State’s budget is in good condition due to passage of Proposition 30. Many spending bills were held up in the Appropriations Committee and did not move forward for adoption. A $350 million prison reduction plan was approved. One fracking bill, SB4, was passed but nine other fracking bills did not move forward. The Affordable Healthcare Act will be implemented in 2014. Proposed changes to the California Environmental Quality Act were not approved, but will come up again in the next legislation session. Similarly, no action was taken on a threshold bill to reduce to reduce the percentage of votes needed to approve transportation and education projects to 55%. A package of bills related to the Clean Water Act was also approved. Most of the adopted bills have been signed by the Governor.
5.	Discuss Strategy for IRWM Grant Funding
	Stoldt outlined a strategy that focused on meeting with decision makers at different levels within the Department of Water Resources to advocate for the distribution of grant funds to the Monterey Peninsula. The committee expressed agreement with the strategy.
6.	Discuss Actions Needed to Address the SWRCB Interpretation of the Cease and Desist Order re Setting Water Meters for Commercial Projects
	Stoldt reported that on October 16, 2013, Water Management District representatives will meet with representatives from the California State Water Resources Control Board and California American Water to discuss the CDO. The Water Management District would like the SWRCB to determine water use at an existing site based on the water factors, not historic water use. The SWRCB is reluctant to do so, because if water use on the Peninsula exceeds the CDO limits, Cal-Am could charge that a reinterpretation of the CDO was the cause. Counsel Laredo stated that if SWRCB staff will not reinterpret the CDO, the Water Management District could request that the CDO be reopened.
Other Items: There were no other items brought forward for discussion.
Set Next Meeting Date
No meeting date was set.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 am.
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