Business Meeting

AGENDA

Business Meeting
Thursday, September 24, 2009 
State Capitol, Room 437
Sacramento, CA

The Commission will consider agenda items I-V at approximately 1:00 p.m. The precise time will vary depending upon the testimony of witnesses and will be determined at the discretion of the chair. Members of the public will have an opportunity to make comments about Commission agenda items during the meeting.

1. Business Meeting Minutes from August 27, 2009
    
2. Schedule/Project Selection
    
3. Subcommittee Reports
    
   1. Infrastrucutre Policy and Finance: Draft Recommendations
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4. Implementation Activity
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5. Reports from Bureau of State Audits

PUBLIC NOTICE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2009

For Additional Information Contact:
Stuart Drown, Executive Director
(916) 445-2125

Notice of Meeting

On Thursday, September 24, 2009, the Little Hoover Commission will conduct a public hearing on water governance. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 437 of the State Capitol in Sacramento.

In this study, the Commission is examining the management and governance of California’s water supply. At this hearing, the Commission will discuss governance options past and present for the merging of the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project, potential separation of the State Water Project from the Department of Water Resources, statewide integrated water planning efforts, irrigation efficiency projects and any legal and economic barriers that exist.

The Commission will hear from a regional director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on past efforts to combine the state and federal water projects under state control. The Commission also will hear about the findings of recent research into the separation of the State Water Project from DWR. A water expert and researcher from Montana who has been studying this possibility and governance models will present her work. Following that, a DWR official in integrated water management will discuss regional coordination. The chief deputy general manager of Westlands Water District will discuss governance models and efficient water management. The director of legal services for the Natural Heritage Institute will discuss effective governance. Finally, the Commission will hear from a retired longtime director of the California Research Bureau on the economic side of reforming California’s water governance.

There will be an opportunity for public comment at the end of the hearing. The Commission also encourages written comments. A business meeting will follow the hearing.

All public notices for meetings are on the Commission’s Web site, www.lhc.ca.gov. If you need reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please contact Stuart Drown at (916) 445-2125 or littlehoover@lhc.ca.gov by Thursday, September 17, 2009.