Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012: surface storage projects: submission to voters.

(1) Existing law creates the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. This bill would rename the bond act as the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, and would make conforming changes. (2) The bond act, among other things, would continuously appropriate $3,000,000,000 to the California Water Commission for specified water projects, including surface storage projects identified in the CALFED Bay-Delta Program Record of Decision, dated August 28, 2000, except as specified. Funds allocated for this purpose are authorized by the bond act to be provided to local joint powers authorities formed by irrigation districts and other local water districts and local governments located within the applicable hydrologic region to design, acquire, and construct those projects. The bond act would also authorize the joint powers authorities to include in their membership governmental and nongovernmental partners that are not located within their respective hydrologic regions in financing the surface storage projects, including, as appropriate, cost share participation or equity participation. This bill would delete the authorization for joint powers authorities to include nongovernmental partners in their membership. The bill would prohibit the joint powers authorities from including in their membership any for-profit corporation, or mutual water company whose shareholders and members include a for-profit corporation or any other private entity. (3) Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 2, 2010, statewide general election. This bill would instead provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 6, 2012, statewide general election, and would require the Secretary of State to include the changes made by this bill when submitting the bond act to the voters at the November 6, 2012, statewide general election. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.