On March 21, 2022, the State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board” or “Board”) issued a letter to approximately 20,000 water rights holders warning them curtailment orders are imminent due to continued drought...more
On December 2, 2021 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule aimed at enhancing the safety of agricultural water used on covered produce (other than sprouts). The proposed rule is the agency’s...more
12/10/2021
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Comment Period ,
Crops ,
Farms ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
FSMA ,
Produce Safety Rule ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Water ,
Water Quality
The State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board”) issued emergency regulations on August 3, 2021, authorizing Board staff to curtail diversions and require informational reporting from water users in the...more
On April 7, 2020, the Sacramento County Public Health Officer, Dr. Olivia Kasirye, issued a new Public Health Order (“Order”) extending the requirement that County residents stay at home during the ongoing Novel Coronavirus...more
On March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-33-20, directing all Californians to stay home, except as necessary to “to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical infrastructure sectors.”...more
On March 19, Governor Newsom adopted Executive Order N-33-20? (“Order”) directing that all Californians stay at their home or place of residence, “except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical...more
On March 18, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order providing further flexibility to public agencies conducting their meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Order N-29-20 (“Order”) amends a prior...more
3/20/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Municipalities ,
Public Health ,
Public Meetings ,
State and Local Government ,
Virtual Meetings
In response to the developing concern regarding the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), on March 12, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-25-20 (the “Order”). Among other things, the Order provides...more
3/13/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Municipalities ,
Public Health ,
Public Meetings ,
Ralph M. Brown Act ,
State and Local Government ,
Virtual Meetings
In late 2018, Governor Brown signed SB 929 (Maguire) into law, which mandated that all independent special districts in the state of California maintain an internet website consistent with all existing legal requirements for...more
In 2016, the State Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 2257 (Government Code section 54954.2) to update the Ralph M. Brown Act with new requirements applicable to meeting agenda postings on local agency websites. The Brown Act,...more
On December 4, the California Supreme Court ruled that groundwater pumping charges levied to fund a basin-wide conservation and management program were not property-related fees subject to Proposition 218. The decision, City...more
On July 21, 2017, the California Department of Water Resources (“DWR”) certified the final environmental document and issued its Notice of Determination for the California WaterFix, a significant new water infrastructure...more
7/26/2017
/ Bureau of Reclamation ,
CEQA ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
NEPA ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water ,
Water Rights ,
Water Supplies ,
WaterFix
On Friday, July 21, 2017, the California Department of Water Resources (“DWR”) certified the Environmental Impact Report for the California WaterFix tunnels project and filed a Notice of Determination with the Governor’s...more
7/24/2017
/ Bureau of Reclamation ,
CEQA ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Infrastructure ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
NEPA ,
Notice of Determination (NODs) ,
Petition for Review ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water ,
Water Rights ,
Water Supplies ,
WaterFix
On March 2, 2017, the California Supreme Court ruled in City of San Jose v. Superior Court that where a public employee uses a personal email account or texts to communicate about the conduct of public business, those...more
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) will have lasting implications on water users throughout the State. Downey Brand's water law practice is on the cutting edge of SGMA and groundwater law developments and has...more