Governor signs Ben Allen water rights bill
Legislation co-authored by State Senator Ben Allen was signed into law Oct. 8, to make it so certain water rights claims may be verified by the State Water Resources Control Board.
Before this, senior water rights were exempt from the same level of scrutiny given to junior rights, which are subject to the Water Board’s permits.
“This law takes a long-overdue step towards ensuring effective operation of our water rights system by certifying the Board’s authority to enforce state law regardless of the age of a claimed water right,” Allen said in a statement.
California has previously operated on a “First-in-Time, First-in-Right” principle, which supporters of the bill say has created problems for the Water Board to manage water use, given the need to prioritize and account for senior water rights claims which may be inaccurate, inflated or against the law.
The new law (State Bill 389) gives the Water Board the power to investigate individual water rights claims and enforce against illegal diversion.
Allen represents California’s 24th State Senate District, from Hollywood to the South Bay.
116th Redondo Chamber awards coming
The Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce 116th Annual Community Awards ceremony is Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 11:30 a.m. at the Elks Lodge next to Veterans Park.
Awards presented include Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, City Employee of the Year, Non-profit Business of the Year and Redondo Beach Chamber Ambassador of the Year.
The Elks Lodge is at 315 Esplanade.
CORRECTION:
An article in last week’s Easy Reader (“Redondo Council keeps call-ins, despite threat of hate speech”) stated in error that a vote on a potential 12-week suspension of call-in public input at city council meetings was 4-1 against. It was 3-2, with Councilman Zein Obagi, Jr., in support as well as Councilmember Paige Kaluderovic.
She told the council that, a week before, she heard anonymous callers interrupt city council meetings in Malibu and Hermosa Beach.
“I respect the public’s right to free speech, but I don’t think anonymous callers disrupting our meetings is helpful or useful,” Kaluderovic said. “Especially to the efficiency of our meetings.” ER
