Calif. Gov. Signs Flood Plan Bills

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a package of legislation yesterday designed to strengthen the state's flood protections with land-use plans and other requirements.

"California's Central Valley has thousands of miles of levees protecting millions of residents, and we expect millions more in the coming decades," the governor said. "We want to make sure the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina do not happen here if there is an earthquake or other natural disaster."

The governor signed six bills into law, including Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, which requires the Department of Water Resources and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board to prepare and adopt a Central Valley Flood Protection Plan by 2012.

It establishes flood protection requirements for local land-use decisions consistent with the Central Valley Protection Plan.

Assembly Bill 162 by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, requires cities and counties to address flood-related matters in the land-use, conservation, safety and housing elements of their general plans.

Another bill, AB 70 by Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, mandates that a city or county may be required to contribute to cover the increased flood liability caused by its unreasonable approval of developments following the failure of a state flood control project.

Other bills signed as part of the package are AB 156, reforming the state Water Code; SB 17, reforming and renaming the Reclamation Board to improve proficiency and requiring development of a State Plan of Flood Control for the Central Valley; and AB 5, which makes clarifying and technical changes to the other bills in the package.

"Last year, Californians made the commitment to invest nearly $5 billion to secure our levees when we passed Propositions 1E and 84. Today's bills are the next step in ensuring a safe future for our state," continued the governor.

In May of last year, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed legislation creating a $4 billion levee repair and flood control bond as part of the Strategic Growth Plan approved by voters in a referendum.