AB 72 Municipal Water District Start Dates
Sacramento – Assemblymember Chris Holden’s bill to standardize the start date of newly elected Municipal Water District Directors has been approved by the State Legislature and is now on its way to Governor Brown for signature. It is the first bill from freshman Assemblymember and Majority Whip Holden (D-Pasadena) to pass the legislative process.
Assemblymember Holden applauded his colleagues’ bipartisan support “for this common sense, good government bill designed to limit the ‘lame duck’ term for outgoing Water District Directors.” Holden added, “This bill will ensure water districts are able to move swiftly between terms and critical business is not delayed unnecessarily.”
Here’s the problem: Newly elected directors of California Water Districts take office on the first Friday in December, while those elected to Municipal Water Districts must wait until the first Monday after January 1st, making it difficult to proceed with municipal water business until new members are seated some 60 days later.
Testifying in favor of the bill was sponsor, Three Valleys Municipal Water District President Bob Kuhn, who noted following the hearing, “We are pleased with the Legislature’s positive response to AB 72. The bill establishes good governance for all Municipal Water Districts and we urge the Governor to sign this valuable piece of Legislation.”
AB 72 passed the California Senate on May 24th by a unanimous vote. It was approved in the Assembly earlier this year. If signed by the Governor, it would go into effect January 1, 2014.
CONTACT: Wendy Gordon, 626.720-3409