Darcy & Darcy welcomed California State Senator Anna Caballero, representing District 14, which stretches across parts of Madera, Merced and Fresno counties. Last year, Senator Caballero joined us and shared with us her efforts on SB 366, a bill that was intended to modernize the California Water Plan and mandated that the Department of Water Resources to set long-term water supply targets.SB366 died in committee, leaving many in the water sector wondering if the water plan would ever have any accountability.

The Senator’s back with the Darcys to talk about SB 72, which was just newly signed into law. SB 72 picked up where SB366 left off, setting statutory long-term targets, with an interim target of 9-million-acre-feet. The conversation goes far beyond the bill, and includes the challenges California cities, communities, and water districts face in managing flood waters, repurposing flood control dams for water storage as well, and more. To learn more about Senator Caballero, visit www.sd14.senate.ca.gov/ .

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

With growing frequency, water systems, cities, and other water utilities have been held for ransom as a direct result of a cybersecurity attack. These attacks can hold a system hostage for millions of dollars, jeopardizing customer data as well as water and wastewater operations; ultimately impacting public health and safety. Many systems have recently discovered that insurance is no longer covering the bill. For policymakers, believing “We’re fine” is not only naive but also dangerous and can be extremely expensive.

This week, Darcy Villere and Darcy Burke welcomed American Water Works Association’s in-house cybersecurity expert, Dr. Kevin Morley, and Santa Margarita Water District Board Member and local government cybersecurity advisor, Frank Ury. Kevin and Frank share what the bad actors are doing and where they are hiding (It should scare you), why paranoia is not always such a bad thing, and why a recovery plan is critical. If your Cybersecurity or IT Team says, “We’re fine.” You need to listen.

For more information about Dr. Kevin Morley and the American Water Works Association’s cybersecurity resources, visit https://www.awwa.org/resource/cybersecurity-guidance/. To learn more about Frank Ury and Santa Margarita Water District, visit https://www.smwd.com/.

Let us know what you’re thinking! You can provide comments, suggestions, questions, or recommendations at https://www.ecwaterpac.com/podcast/. Thanks for tuning in!

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Agriculture scored a win recently when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California’s ruling that the Clean Water Act’s exemption for “irrigated agriculture return flows” shields projects like the Grassland Bypass Project (GBP) from federal National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements.

At the heart of the issue is David Cory, President of the Grasslands Basin Authority. This week David joins Darcy and Darcy and shares the history of the GBP, the related San Joaquin River Water Quality Improvement Project (SJRIP), the eleven-year litigation, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, and much more. You’ll learn from David that even when you do things the right way from the beginning and involve the right stakeholders, things don’t always go as planned. Be sure and listen-in! To learn more about David and the GBP, visit www.GBAAuthority.com.

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.