BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
*Review Proposed Recommendations for the Development of the California Water Resiliency Portfolio, and Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to Sign a Letter Transmitting Recommendations to the California Natural Resources Agency.
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RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
A. Review the proposed recommendations to be submitted by to the California Natural Resources Agency, to inform the development of a California Water Resiliency Portfolio that may guide the Newsom Administration's water policy;
B. Direct staff to finalize a letter to Nancy Vogel, Director of the Governor's Water Portfolio Program at the California Natural Resources Agency, providing recommendations for the development of the California Water Resiliency Portfolio, with any changes requested by the Board; and
C. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to sign the letter.
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SUMMARY:
On April 29, 2019, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-10-19 (EO) directing the Natural Resources Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Food and Agriculture, in conjunction with the Department of Finance, to develop a Water Resilience Portfolio for the state. The Governor's EO directs the agencies to reassess the priorities in the Brown Administration's 2016 California Water Action Plan and "update projected climate change impacts to our water systems, identify key priorities for the administration's water portfolio moving forward, and identify how to improve integration across state agencies to implement these priorities."
The EO established the following principles for the Water Resiliency Portfolio.
* Prioritize multi-benefit approaches that meet multiple needs at once.
* Utilize natural infrastructure such as forests and floodplains.
* Embrace innovation and new technologies.
* Encourage regional approaches among water users sharing watersheds.
* Incorporate successful approaches from other parts of the world.
* Integrate investments, polic...
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