'Salton Sea Conservancy' bill stalls in California Legislature amid bureaucracy concerns

Would a proposed Salton Sea Conservancy help efforts in the troubled region? Elected officials and local organizations are split, with some saying it will just add another layer of bureaucracy to already mired efforts.

California Senate Bill 583, authored by state Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, and coauthored by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, would create the Salton Sea Conservancy, “tasking it with coordinating management of all conservation projects in the region to restore the shrinking sea and reducing the negative health impact the Sea imposes,” according to Padilla’s office. There are currently 10 similar state conservancies under the California Natural Resources Agency, including the local Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy.

But facing opposition from some local agencies and organizations concerned about how this new conservancy would fit into the existing labyrinth of federal, state, and local agencies active on the Salton Sea, the bill ultimately didn’t move forward from the Legislature this year. After an amended version of the bill passed in the Assembly last week, Padilla moved the bill to inactive status on Wednesday, the day before the Sept. 14 deadline for the Legislature to pass legislation and send it to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.

The bill will be held until next year while Padilla’s office negotiates with the governor’s office to secure funding to establish the conservancy. 

“Generations of working families have already suffered the consequences of California’s failure to address the harm the Sea inflicts on these historically underserved and overlooked communities," Padilla said in a press release. "A Conservancy empowers those living with this reality and gives them a meaningful voice as we manage limited resources to best help remediate this public health crisis. These communities cannot afford more delay.”

The Salton Sea Conservancy board would have 15 appointed voted members, including representatives from the Riverside County and Imperial County boards of supervisors, Imperial Irrigation District, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, and a representative of a local nonprofit environmental justice group, among others.

Supporters of the bill included Audubon California, Sierra Club California, the Pacific Institute, Imperial County, the cities of Brawley, Calexico, and El Centro, and environmental groups Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and Alianza Coachella Valley, among others.

The support and opposition isn't a neat division, with environmental advocates, elected officials, and local cities and government agencies divided amongst each other on the best path forward.

Initial opponents included the Coachella Valley Water District, Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, and environmental justice groups Comite Civico del Valle and Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition. On Monday, the Coachella Valley Water District shifted its position to "support if amended" to include a board seat for a representative from the environmental justice community in Imperial Valley, while clarifying that an existing environmental justice board seat would represent the Coachella Valley, and to clarify the boundaries of the Salton Sea Conservancy and the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy.

The Salton Sea Authority, a Joint Powers Authority created in 1993 to work with the state of California to oversee Salton Sea restoration, also opposed the bill. The authority consists of representatives of Riverside and Imperial counties, Coachella Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, and the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. Opponents argued that the new conservancy could be redundant with the existing Salton Sea Authority and add an additional layer of bureaucracy to projects at the sea.

“I have expressed, and many of our partner agencies, have expressed, major concerns about this bill. There are many components of this proposal: funding streams, roles and responsibilities, operations and maintenance, but most important is the issue of consultation between the state and the Salton Sea Authority. This discussion deserves public engagement and outreach. That has not occurred yet. My hope is that, with the Senator’s intent to hold the bill until next year, that he work openly with the stakeholders and communities in both counties,” Perez said in a written statement on Wednesday.

Luis Olmedo of Comite Civico del Valle also said he appreciated the additional time granted by holding the bill until next year.

"Like many local governmental stakeholders, CCV requested that the bill be put on hold to ensure meaningful local consultation and we are thankful that state leaders have agreed to do so," he said. "CCV looks forward to continued dialogue with state leaders so that the conservancy's composition is reflective of place-based expertise residing in Imperial and Coachella Valley environmental justice (EJ) communities and to make certain that public health concerns stemming from the Salton Sea are equally prioritized alongside endangered species and habitat restoration issues.”

Several amendments were made to the bill before its passage in the Assembly in an attempt to address the opposition's concerns, including clarifying that the Salton Sea Conservancy's role would be to oversee the operation and maintenance of the dust suppression and habitat projects currently underway under the state’s Salton Sea Management Program.

If the bill passes next year, it could be a couple of years before the Salton Sea Conservancy is fully up and running. This year’s proposal would have required the board of directors to be established by 2026, with annual reports to the Legislature starting in 2027.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 'Salton Sea Conservancy' bill stalls in California Legislature