SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 22, 2002 -- The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) on Monday released its annual Legislative Vote Record Report examining how state lawmakers voted on key water legislation this year.
The report is designed to help ACWA members track their local legislators' actions on bills important to the water community. It analyzes 15 floor votes in the Assembly and 17 floor votes in the Senate, and summarizes how each lawmaker voted relative to ACWA's position on the bill at the time of the vote.
"Water policy remains at the forefront of legislative issues in Sacramento," said Bob Reeb, ACWA state legislative director. "Water supply and quality are also among the top concerns of voters. The purpose of ACWA's vote tally is to help legislators focus on their record and to assist voters in measuring the performance of their state legislators on key water issues."
According to the report, Assembly Member Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced) had the best record in the Assembly, voting in agreement with ACWA's position on all 15 of the bills. Other outstanding records include those of Assembly Members Thomas Calderon (D-Montebello); Lynn Daucher (R-Brea); Manny Diaz (D-San Jose); Dean Florez (D-Shafter); John Longville (D-Rialto); Joe Nation (D-San Rafael); Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills); Keith Richman (R-Northridge); Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa); and Roderick Wright (So Ctrl Los Angeles). These members cast votes in agreement with ACWA's position on 13 of the 15 bills.
On the Senate side, Senator Bruce McPherson (R-Santa Cruz) cast the most votes, 15 of 17, in agreement with ACWA's positions. Senator Jim Costa (D-Fresno) was in support on 14 of 17 votes.
Floor votes analyzed in the report include:
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AB 857 (Wiggins) -- Codifies three priorities for State funding including that which promotes infill development and equity, protects environmental and agricultural resources, and encourages efficient development patterns. ACWA Position: Oppose
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AB 1972 (Frommer) -- Requires public water systems to include health effects language in annual consumer confidence reports whenever a Public Health Goal (PHG) is exceeded. ACWA Position: Oppose
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AB 2481 (Frommer) -- Strengthens requirements for underground storage tanks containing gasoline to provide greater protections to water quality. ACWA Position: Support
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SB 1653 (Costa) -- Establishes a 20-member California Bay-Delta Authority (CBDA) within the Resources Agency to oversee the implementation of the CALFED program. ACWA Position: Support
ACWA's 2002 Legislative Vote Record Report is available in its entirety online at www.acwanet.com.
ACWA is a statewide organization whose 440 public water agencies are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwanet.com.
