September 2015 | Republican Party Central Committee Resolution
STATEMENT OF OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY WATER DISTRICT FORMATION
FOR THE PASO ROBLES GROUNDWATER BASIN
WHEREAS, The Paso Robles Groundwater basin has been named a “probationary basin” by the California Department of Water Resources, and therefore is subject to mandates required by the Pavley Dickinson bill that became effective January 1, 2015, also called the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and requiring a local agency or collection of local agencies elect to be a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) by June 30, 2017 in order to adopt a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for the entire basin by January 31, 2022; and
WHEREAS, The Paso Robles Groundwater basin management will involve several agencies including the City of Paso Robles, the County of San Luis Obispo Flood Control and Water Conservation District, the County of Monterey, and others; and
WHEREAS, Two stakeholder groups, the Paso Robles Agricultural Alliance for Groundwater Solutions (PRAAGS), and PRO Water Equity proposed and supported the formation of a modified California Water District in order to manage the unincorporated area of the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, then supported the Proposed San Luis Obispo County Water District to give the proposed water district extra powers to tax and regulate property owners within the district; and
WHEREAS, The Proposed San Luis Obispo County Water District became effective January 1, 2015 and authorizes the use of several groundwater management powers, subject to approval by LAFCO, and also authorized the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to be the applicant to LAFCO to create the new water district, costing the county taxpayers approximately $350,000 to process the application; and
WHEREAS, If formed, the Proposed San Luis Obispo Water District will created an unnecessary additional layer of government with the power to tax and regulate landowners within it’s boundaries as evidenced by the following passages of the proposal, “37902. The creation of the district is not intended to and shall not modify the powers of the County of San Luis Obispo and the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, carried out consistent with applicable law, to manage and protect groundwater resources within the County of San Luis Obispo, including the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin. ” and “37921. The board may adopt ordinances for the purpose of regulating, conserving, managing, and controlling the use and extraction of groundwater within the territory of the district. ” and “37960. The district may, by ordinance, levy groundwater extraction charges, including volumetric charges intended to provide an incentive for reduced water use, on the extraction of groundwater from all water extraction facilities within the territory of the district for the purposes of paying the costs of initiating, carrying on, and completing any of the powers, purposes, and groundwater management activities described in this act. ”; and
WHEREAS, The San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District is the current agency responsible for basin management and will retain such powers and the platform of the Republican Party opposes the creation of unnecessary government and taxation as evidenced by the following statement taken from the Republican platform, “Taxes, by their very nature, reduce a citizen’s freedom. Their proper role in a free society should be to fund services that are essential and authorized by the Constitution, such as national security, and the care of those who cannot care for themselves. We reject the use of taxation to redistribute income, fund unnecessary or ineffective programs, or foster the crony capitalism that corrupts both politicians and corporations.”; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the San Luis Obispo Republican Party oppose the formation of the Proposed San Luis Obispo County Water District for the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin.