December 16, 2014
The Honorable Jerry Brown Governor of the State of California California State Capitol, First Floor Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: California Water Action Plan
Dear Governor Brown:
As members of the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy & Jobs (L.A. Coalition) we wanted to thank you for your leadership on many important issues, but none more important or difficult than California’s continuing water crisis.
We are writing to express our strong support for the continued advancement of your California Water Action Plan that with your leadership will further strengthen our state’s ability to provide all Californians access to a more sustainable and reliable supply of water for decades to come.
The L.A. Coalition is an independent and bipartisan alliance that brings together leaders from the business, labor, academic and nonprofit communities to advance sound policies that help to responsibly grow the economy and create quality jobs throughout the region. As a group, the L.A. Coalition’s membership represents businesses and organizations that employ hundreds of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles metropolitan region.
In light of recent rain showers throughout the state, we would strongly encourage you to use your upcoming State of the State speech to remind Californians that our drought will still continue, and require all of us to fundamentally change our relationship with water and how we use it.
Your speech would also provide a great opportunity to build on the momentum of the recent passage of Proposition 1 – the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Act – and call on all of California’s 38 million residents to support federal and state proposals and local solutions that will develop a more safe and reliable water system for the state.
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The Los Angeles region is doing its part. L.A. continues to be a leader in efficient water use and in creating opportunities for regional self‐sufficiency. Angelenos now consume less water than they did in the late 1970s and, thanks to government rebate programs, residents and businesses are installing low‐water toilets, shower‐heads, and washing machines, and ripping out lawns to plant low‐water native gardens.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has secured a 17 percent savings in water use since the summer of 2009 and the Metropolitan Water District has secured a savings of 24 percent during that time from lawn retrofits alone.
The City of Los Angeles’ five‐year water resource plan, adopted in June 2012, was also a great step forward in recognizing that water reuse is the easiest and most economical fix to mitigating the effects of drought conditions – reuse currently accounts for less than 1 percent of total water usage in the U.S. The City has also been moving forward with a set of recycled water projects (facilities and pipelines), such as recharging groundwater supplies with purified recycled water to help reduce its dependence on imported water.
These steps have helped L.A. achieve the distinction of having the lowest per capita water consumption among U.S. urban areas with populations of more than 1 million. By taking further advantage of opportunities that will come from scientific advances in water technology – including reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection, and oxidation – L.A. will continue to use these new technologies to further reduce its dependence on imported water.
While these local actions are bold and aggressive, the L.A. region’s larger water portfolio will continue to rely on imported water, which as you know comes from both California’s Delta and the Colorado River.
That is why the L.A. Coalition strongly supports your State Water Action Plan and the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which is included in it.
As we all know the Delta is California's major collection point for water, serving 25 million people and providing irrigation water for 3 million acres of farmland.
Supply disruptions due to an earthquake or flooding will only further weaken the Delta’s already fragile ecosystem and levees, which would be catastrophic to more than two‐thirds of the state’s population and cost billions of dollars to the economy.
The Coalition also encourages you to consider policies that leverage public funding with private investment in water treatment, storage and supply infrastructure. Investment in water treatment, banking and other activities is happening but the pace needs to be accelerated to meet our state's growing needs.
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Expedited environmental review would be a good start and a number of steps can be taken to encourage trading of water between counties and regions.
We look forward to working with you to further advance your State Water Action Plan and Bay Delta Conservation Plan and offer our support in helping advance key messages on this issue to encourage more of California's elected and public officials, and businesses and civic leaders, to implement smart initiatives that better address our state’s increasing demand for a reliable source of quality water for years to come.
Respectfully,
Ambassador Frank E. Baxter Stewart Resnick Sherry Lansing Chairman Emeritus Chairman & President CEO Jefferies LLC Roll International The Sherry Lansing Corporation Foundation
Theodore F. Craver Jr. Skip Keesal Ed Roski Chairman, President & CEO Partner Chairman & CEO Edison International Keesal, Young & Logan Majestic Realty
Ronald L. Olson Ambassador Robert Tuttle Thomas Priselac Partner Co‐Managing Director President & CEO Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Tuttle‐Click Automotive Cedars‐Sinai Health System Group
John Long Marc B. Nathanson Richard Katz Chairman & President Chairman CEO Highridge Partners, Inc. Falcon Waterfree Richard Katz Consulting Technologies
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Dr. Willie J. Hagan Jonathan P. Roth Barry Meyer President President CEO California State University, Canyon Capital Realty North Ten Mile Associates Dominguez Hills Advisors LLC
Dr. Dianne Harrison James A. Thomas George Kieffer President Chairman, President & CEO Partner California State University, Thomas Properties Group Manatt, Phelps Phillips, LLP Northridge
Gary Freedman Steven Mnuchin John C. Cushman, III Gary Freedman Chairman Chairman of the Board Partner OneWest Bank Cushman & Wakefield Ervin Cohen & Jessup, LLP
David Bohnett Art M. Gastelum Gary Toebben Principal President & CEO President & CEO Baroda Ventures, LLC Gateway Science & Los Angeles Area Chamber of Engineering Commerce
Dr. Jane Close Conoley J. Michael Ortiz President Steven Lavine President California State University, President Cal Poly Pomona Long Beach California Institute of the Arts
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Jamie McCourt CEO Michael H. Kelly Jamie Enterprises Executive Director The L.A. Coalition
Cc: The Honorable Eric M. Garcetti, Mayor of the City of Los Angeles The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator for California The Honorable Barbara Boxer, United States Senator for California The Honorable Kevin de León, California Senate President pro Tempore The Honorable Toni Atkins, California Speaker of the Assembly The Honorable Herb J. Wesson, Jr., President of the Los Angeles City Council Members of the Los Angeles City Council Members of the Los Angeles Region Congressional Delegation Members of the Los Angeles Region State Senate Delegation Members of the Los Angeles Region State Assembly Delegation