City property: sale of water utility property.

Existing law, until January 1, 2022, authorizes the City of El Monte, the City of Montebello, and the City of Willows to sell its public utility for furnishing water service for the purpose of consolidating the system with another public water system if the potentially subsumed public water system is wholly within the boundaries of the city and the city determines that it is uneconomical and not in the public interest to own and operate the public utility, subject to additional requirements. Existing law prohibits the sale of the public utility or requires an election to be called for voters to approve the sale if a certain percentage of interested persons protest the sale of the public utility, and defines "interested person" to mean a person who is a resident of the city. This bill would extend the authorization to consolidate water systems until January 1, 2024. The bill would delete the requirement that the potentially subsumed public water system be wholly within the boundaries of the city. The bill would revise the definition of "interested persons" specified above to include ratepayers outside of the city. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Cities of El Monte, Montebello, and Willows.