HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-114 - Supporting the Water Infrastructure Funding Act of 2022.RESOLUTION NO. 2021-114
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING
THE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING ACT OF
2022
WHEREAS, the challenges of a growing population in conjunction with prolonged
droughts has exposed serious flaws with the State of California's water infrastructure;
WHEREAS, the Water Infrastructure Funding Act of 2022, a citizens' ballot
initiative to prioritize, fund, and streamline new water supply projects has been filed for
qualification for the November 2022 general election ("Initiative" or "Act");
WHEREAS, the Initiative will amend the state constitution and provisions of the
California Water Code, Public Resources Code, and Government Code to accomplish the
following objectives:
(1) Require the transfer of two percent (2%) of the state's General Fund
Revenue each and every year into a trust account until the state certifies that water
projects funded in whole, or in part, have created a minimum increase of five million acre-
feet (5,000,000 AF) of additional annual water supply that can be reliably delivered to
Californians every year thereafter;
(2) Provide "pay-as-you-go" funding for certain water projects, including those
ready for immediate construction, while also authorizing the issuance of general
obligation bonds which may be repaid using up to half of the revenue transferred into the
trust account each year for larger, longer-term water projects, all for the purpose of
creating a minimum of five million acre-feet (5,000,000 AF) of additional annual water
supply;
(3) Require that such projects include new or increased storage capacity in
reservoirs and aquifers, desalination, recycling and treatment of waste and stormwater,
repair and upgrade to water systems for the delivery of clean, safe drinking water for
homes and businesses, water for agricultural uses, and other projects designed to
increase the safe and affordable supply of water to all Californians; and
(4) Provide for streamlined administrative processing and judicial review of
water projects funded in whole, or in part, by the Act or otherwise certified by the California
Water Commission as a drought resiliency project that would help achieve a minimum of
five million acre-feet (5,000,000 AF) of additional annual water supply capacity.
Resolution No. 2021-114
Page 2 of 3
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Newport Beach resolves as
follows:
Section 1: The City Council does hereby support the Initiative to increase
California's annual water supply by a minimum of five million acre-feet (5,000,000 AF),
improve California's aging water infrastructure, construct new means to capture and
deliver water to all parts of our state, and streamline the processing of water projects.
Section 2: The recitals provided in this resolution are true and correct and are
incorporated into the operative part of this resolution.
Section 3: If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this
resolution is, for any reason, held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not
affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining portions of this resolution. The City
Council hereby declares that it would have passed this resolution, and each section,
subsection, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or
more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid or
unconstitutional.
Section 4: The City Council finds the adoption of this resolution is not subject to
the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the
activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the
environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378)
of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3,
because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or
indirectly.
Resolution No. 2021-114
Page 3 of 3
Section 5: This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the
City Council, and the City Clerk shall certify the vote adopting the resolution.
ADOPTED this 16th day of November 2021
ATTEST:
Leilani I. Brown
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
C ff
Aar
n C. Harp
City Attorney
STATE OF CALIFORNIA }
COUNTY OF ORANGE } ss.
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH }
I, Leilani I. Brown, City Clerk of the City of Newport Beach, California, do hereby certify that the
whole number of members of the City Council is seven; the foregoing resolution, being Resolution
No. 2021-114 was duly introduced before and adopted by the City Council of said City at a regular
meeting of said Council held on the 16th day of November, 2021; and the same was so passed and
adopted by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Mayor Brad Avery, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Muldoon, Council Member Noah Blom,
Council Member Joy Brenner, Council Member Diane Dixon, Council Member
Duffy Duffield, Council Member Will O'Neill
NAYS: None
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the official seal of
said City this 17th day of November, 2021.
Leilani I. Brown
City Clerk
Newport Beach, California