WATER: 2016
As Californians live through a historic drought, the state’s leaders seek solutions to an age-old problem. New groundwater rules, restrictions on water use, and fights over new storage and transportation projects loom in 2016 – with a proposed ballot initiative that would restrict large infrastructure projects looming over all.
Capitol Weekly and the UC Center present WATER: 2016, their third annual conference devoted to California water policy. This day-long conference will be held on April 28, 2016, and will be filmed for broadcast by the California Channel.
PANEL 1: Fiscal Impacts
Project costs; financing, rates, related structure costs; prepping and planning, etc
Kip Lipper, Office of the Senate Pro Tem; Jeff Michael, University of the Pacific; Roger Patterson, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; David Sunding, UC Berkeley Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; Jay Ziegler, The Nature Conservancy
Moderated by Ben Bradford, Capital Public Radio
PANEL 2: The Project
A physical description: how big and long; impact on landscape; potential changes; property issues; construction timelines, etc
Jay Lund, Center for Watershed Sciences; Karla Nemeth, California Natural Resources Agency; Michael Quigley, Alliance for Jobs; Rogene Reynolds, former president, Restore the Delta
Moderated by Chris Austin, Maven’s Notebook
Keynote
John Laird, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency
PANEL 3: Water Storage and Delivery
Groundwater storage, surface storage; impacts on delivery; additional infrastructure; areas of greatest need
Tom Birmingham, Westlands Water District; Doug Obegi, Natural Resources Defense Council; Timothy Quinn, Association of California Water Agencies; Paul Wenger, California Farm Bureau Federation
Moderated by Jennifer Bowles, Water Education Foundation
PANEL 4: The Politics
Political forces at play shaping policy, outlook for legislative/ballot action; is the north-vs-south division intensifying; options for water districts; environmental concerns
Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman; Assemblyman Marc Levine; Mario Santoyo, San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority; Charley Wilson, Southern California Water Committee
Moderated by Dan Morain, Sacramento Bee
Registration rate is $199. Special $99 rate for California state government staff. Registration includes lunch and all conference materials.
A limited number of no-cost scholarships are available for students, and for anyone for whom cost is an issue. Contact Kathy Brown at Capitol Weekly, (916) 444 7665, for information on applying for a scholarship or registration fee-waiver.
WATER: 2016 will be held in Sacramento at the historic Sacramento Masonic Temple Grand Ballroom at 1123 J Street. Registration includes lunch and all conference materials.
For Sponsorship information, contact Tim Foster at (916) 444 7665 or [email protected].
For Registration information contact Kathy Brown at (916) 444 7665 or [email protected].
For questions about content, please contact John Howard at (916) 444-7665 or [email protected].
Thanks to our sponsors: The California Endowment, The Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations, Californians for Water Security, California Water Association, California Alliiance for Jobs, Capital Public Radio, The Water Education Foundation, KP Public Affairs, California Professional Firefighters, Fiona Hutton and Associates, California Latino Water Coalition, Association of California Water Agencies, Maven’s Notebook, The Southern California Water Committee, The California Almond Board, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, The California Center for Civic Participation, I Heart Media, The Nature Conservancy and The California Channel.
