California Senate Bill SB746

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/21/25
• Refer: 3/12/25
• Refer: 4/21/25
• Report Pass: 4/23/25
• Refer: 4/23/25
• Failed: 2/2/26

Caption

An act to add Sections 13198.5 and 13198.51 to the Water Code, relating to water.

Summary

SB 746 would create two new grant programs within the Department of Water Resources: the Urban Water Community Drought Relief program and the Small Community Drought Relief program. Both programs are designed to provide interim or immediate drought relief to communities facing water loss or contamination, with the urban program serving communities supplied by urban water suppliers and the small community program serving communities not supplied by urban water suppliers. The bill also allows, if funds are appropriated, these programs to support projects that go beyond short-term drought response. Those additional eligible projects include water delivery and storage measures such as hauled water, temporary tanks, bottled water, water vending machines, emergency interties, new or rehabilitated wells, and permanent water infrastructure. The bill also authorizes funding for fish and wildlife rescue and relocation, water conservation activities, and repairs to source-water conveyance facilities. A notable feature is that both programs could fund projects that reduce wildfire risk in high and very high fire hazard severity zones by improving water delivery systems for fire suppression purposes.

Impact

SB 746 would add Sections 13198.5 and 13198.51 to the Water Code, expanding the Department of Water Resources’ grant authority for drought relief and related resilience projects. It would not itself appropriate money, but it would create the statutory framework for future funding, subject to a later appropriation, and would broaden the types of projects eligible for state support. The bill would affect urban water suppliers, small and rural communities, local agencies in fire hazard severity zones, and entities seeking funding for water infrastructure, emergency water access, and wildfire preparedness.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests generally favorable committee sentiment toward the bill. It received a unanimous 6-0 do pass vote in committee and later a unanimous 7-0 vote to place it on the suspense file, indicating broad procedural support but also recognition that the bill has fiscal implications. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to show opposition or detailed support arguments beyond the bill’s stated goals of drought relief, water security, and wildfire preparedness.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is fiscal: the bill is marked fiscal committee yes and authorizes new grant programs only upon appropriation, so the practical question is whether funding will be available and how much. Another possible issue is scope, because the bill links drought-relief funding to wildfire-risk reduction and infrastructure projects, which some may view as an expansion beyond traditional emergency drought assistance. Even so, the unanimous votes suggest that any concerns were not strong enough at this stage to generate recorded opposition.