The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight

Mar 18, 2026 - In a 2010 report , SWRCB concluded that “current flows are insufficient.” The report also acknowledged the need for non‑flow habitat improvements, noting that flow and physical habitat measures are not interchangeable.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - This report discusses the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB’s) proposed—and long-overdue—update of the water quality control plan for the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which includes an alternative compliance pathway for certain water users called voluntary agreements (VAs, also known as Healthy Rivers and Landscapes).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5163

The 2025-26 Budget: May Revision Trailer Bill Proposals on the Delta Conveyance Project and Water Quality Control Plans

May 27, 2025 - By do ing so, this draft plan provides two compliance pathways —one for VA parties based on their proposed VA instream flow and habitat restoration targets, and one for non-VA parties based on the unimpaired flows approach developed by SWRCB staff.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5053

The 2022-23 Budget: State Water Resources Control Board—Bay-Delta Plan Update

Jan 31, 2022 - Specifically, to improve conditions for fish and wildlife, the new flow standards call for 40  percent of unimpaired flow in the rivers. The required flows can be adjusted within a range of 30  percent to 50  percent between February and June depending on other actions and conditions in the fisheries.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4506

The 2022-23 Budget: Clean Energy Package

Feb 22, 2022 - Examples of technologies that might receive funding include flow batteries (batteries that use a different chemical process than traditi onal batteries), thermal storage, and compressed air technologies.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4554

Overview of New Updates to the Cap-and-Invest Program

Dec 9, 2025 - Additionally, the requirements under A B  1207 that CARB report certain information and participate in various legislative hearings may improve information flow to the Legislature on key topics, such as the cost and impacts of the cap ‑and ‑invest program and other market ‑based  regulations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5097

What Can We Learn From How the State Responded to the Last Major Drought?

May 13, 2021 - For example, SWRCB ordered and enforced that less water be diverted from some of the state ’s rivers and streams, and CDFW closed some rivers and streams to fishing in order to protect fish in low water flows.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4429

The 2024-25 Budget: Salton Sea Management Program

Feb 26, 2024 - Anticipating the potential effects of the QSA, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) ordered delays in the pace of water flow reductions. Specifically, the board issued a water rights order in 2002 requiring that for 15 years, IID had to continue to provide inflow water to the Sea at levels sufficient to maintain the salinity levels that would have existed absent the transfer.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4859

The 2026-27 Budget: Framework for Approaching the Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture Budget

Feb 10, 2026 - The administration proposes to use $96  million in settlement funds flowing into the APCF for various specific purposes. The Legislature could consider whether the proposed uses of these funds represent its highest priorities or if it would prefer to reallocate them to other priorities that fit within the legally allowable  uses.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

The 2022-23 Budget: Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges Mandate

Feb 28, 2022 - This was intended to help limit the amount of trash left on the ground that could ultimately flow into waterways. This permit condition applied until 2012, when the Los Angeles RWQCB designed and adopted a new stormwater discharge permit and associated set of requirem ents.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4565