SACRAMENTO — In a nail-biting fashion, Gov. Jerry Brown waited until the final hours of his deadline to approve a bill that will ask voters to approve $190 million for mitigation efforts at the Salton Sea next year.
On Sunday, Brown signed two bills which would provide funding and speed up the construction of dust suppression projects around the Salton Sea.
The major of the two, Senate Bill 5, is the $4 billion park bond measure which was the last bill approved by the state’s legislature before the end of this year’s session.
SB 5 — dubbed the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018 — is a $4 billion park bond authored by Senate’s president pro tempore Kevin De Leon and co-authored by many lawmakers including Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia.
The bill is designed to address various needs related to parks, open spaces, water and climate change-related issues facing California. The bill has three major areas of emphasis: $1.2 billion for park needs, $1.5 billion for water-related matters and another $1.3 for climate issues.
The most noteworthy of those water-related matters locally is the Salton Sea, which under this bill would get $190 million of additional funding along with $10 million for the New River.
Now that the Governor has signed the bill, the park bond will go to California voters during the June 2018 election.
“Earlier this year the (Imperial Irrigation District) Board of Directors adopted a support position on SB 5 since it provides up to $190 million for the Salton Sea related projects and $10 million for the New River project,” said IID Governmental Affairs Officer Antonio Ortega. “While the water bond is not only about these two regional projects, it is our hope that California’s voters will also recognize their immediate funding needs and ultimately approve the bond.”
When the bill originally made it out of the legislature last month, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors Michael Kelley said he was pleased with the progress made to secure additional funding for the Salton Sea.
Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, who co-authored the bill, said after the bill initially passed on Sept. 17, “I am grateful that following negotiations and the continued advocacy of our regional stakeholders. The infusion of these state dollars is imperative to mitigating this imminent environmental, ecological, public health and economic disaster.”
In addition to the park bond, the Governor also penned his signature on a second bill related to the Salton Sea, Senate Bill 615 authored by Sen. Ben Hueso.
The bill provides special design exemption to expedite infrastructure below the current levels of the Salton Sea shoreline and will give preference to projects designed to protect human health and declining ecosystems from the toxic dust coming from the exposed playa.
“Those most impacted by the detriments of the Sea are our most innocent, and many of the impacted families are facing significant hurdles, including high rates of unemployment,” Hueso said in a statement. “These families cannot afford to continue waiting while the health of their children worsens day by day. I thank the Governor for signing this legislation to facilitate further restoration efforts for the Salton Sea.”
Ultimate goal
The end goal of the bills is to provide additional funding for the Salton Sea Management Program’s 10- year plan, which has the goal to cover nearly 30,000 acres of the exposed playa in the next decade. The total price tag for the entire plan is estimated to be $383 million. Last year, Gov. Brown allocated the first $80.5 million for Salton Sea projects.
The intent of the current state plan is to build shallow water ponds for habitat in multiple areas in the southern and northern tips of the sea where it is expected the acreage of exposed lakebed will increase the most. Other dust suppression methods include surface roughening, moat and row, surface stabilizers and graveling.
Although the $190 million earmarked to the Salton Sea in SB 5 won’t be enough to fund the 10-year plan fully, it will have some mechanisms that could allow for more monies for the mitigation efforts. The bill also includes an additional $200 million for the state to fulfill water-related obligations and the Salton Sea may be entitled to a portion of that pot, but it remains unclear how much.
“The Salton Sea Authority applauds the Governor for his bold leadership in providing California voters with the option to accelerate recovery efforts at the Salton Sea through the first 10-year phase of the state’s Salton Sea Management Plan,” said Patrick O’Dowd, president of the Salton Sea Authority and board member of the Coachella Valley Water Authority in a statement. “Progress at the Sea equals progress in water security benefiting everyone in California.”
By Edwin Delgado
Edwin Delgado Portfolio 
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