SACRAMENTO >> A bill designed to protect and preserve Clear Lake advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee on its way to a floor vote.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) presented Assembly Bill 707 in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on Wednesday, where the bill passed unanimously with a bipartisan vote of 9-0.
“We are now one step closer to finalizing the state’s shared commitment towards rehabilitating Clear Lake,” said Aguiar-Curry. “Though there is still more work to be done, I am thrilled to know that my Senate colleagues support smart policy that will bring a leg up to a well deserving community.”
AB 707 will launch a Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake in an effort to protect the environment and spur economic growth in the region. The Committee will be compiled of representatives from Lake County tribes, the County Board of Supervisors, University of California, the Natural Resources Agency, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, and an expert in economic development, agriculture, environment, and from a public water supplier.
“This is not the first time a lake in California has needed a little help,” said Assistant Professor, Alexander Forrest, of UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “From the success of projects like this in the past, I am confident that Clear Lake and the surrounding region will only benefit from the formation of this Committee.”
According to Aguiar-Curry, “What AB 707 does is bring stakeholders together to collaborate on one shared goal — to make Clear Lake clear again. The lake is a precious resource and a source of pride for the community. We have always maintained that there must be local input while working in collaboration with state resources.”
AB 707 will now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee before being taken up for a vote on the Senate Floor.
