Bill Commons

CA AB 2521

Status unknown

California Council on Science and Technology: water availability study: Central Valley.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 2521 pass?

The current status of CA AB 2521 is not known from the official record. Latest recorded action (2026-08-13): In committee: Held under submission.

What is CA AB 2521 about?

Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources within the Natural Resources Agency and vests it with various powers and duties related to water. Existing law requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer a water rights program pursuant to which the board grants and revokes permits and licenses to appropriate water. Existing law authorizes any person who has an urgent need to divert and use water to apply for, and authorizes the board to issue, a conditional, temporary permit, as prescribed. Existing law finds and declares that the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) was organized as a nonprofit corporation at the request of the Legislature for the specific purpose of offering expert advice to the state government on public policy issues significantly related to science and technology. This bill would, on or before January 1, 2028, require the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to select 2 watersheds that are within, or drain into, the Central Valley to conduct a watershedwide water availability study. The bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, request CCST to, in consultation with the Department of Water Resources and the board, undertake and complete a comprehensive study of water availability in the selected watersheds. The bill would require the study to, among other things, determine daily flow rates in rivers, streams, and creeks in the watersheds over the past 30 years to the extent data is available. The bill would require the study to be completed within 2 years of the Legislature appropriating money for purposes of undertaking the study. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature for the water availability study to serve as the water availability analysis for future applications to the board for standard or temporary permits for diversion of water to underground storage in the selected watersheds. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Central Valley.

Who sponsors CA AB 2521?

Papan is the primary sponsor of CA AB 2521.

Description

Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources within the Natural Resources Agency and vests it with various powers and duties related to water. Existing law requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer a water rights program pursuant to which the board grants and revokes permits and licenses to appropriate water. Existing law authorizes any person who has an urgent need to divert and use water to apply for, and authorizes the board to issue, a conditional, temporary permit, as prescribed. Existing law finds and declares that the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) was organized as a nonprofit corporation at the request of the Legislature for the specific purpose of offering expert advice to the state government on public policy issues significantly related to science and technology. This bill would, on or before January 1, 2028, require the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to select 2 watersheds that are within, or drain into, the Central Valley to conduct a watershedwide water availability study. The bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, request CCST to, in consultation with the Department of Water Resources and the board, undertake and complete a comprehensive study of water availability in the selected watersheds. The bill would require the study to, among other things, determine daily flow rates in rivers, streams, and creeks in the watersheds over the past 30 years to the extent data is available. The bill would require the study to be completed within 2 years of the Legislature appropriating money for purposes of undertaking the study. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature for the water availability study to serve as the water availability analysis for future applications to the board for standard or temporary permits for diversion of water to underground storage in the selected watersheds. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Central Valley.

Introduced
2026-03-19
Latest action
2026-08-13 — In committee: Held under submission.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Papanauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-08-13

    In committee: Held under submission.

  2. 2026-08-03

    In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  3. 2026-07-02

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  4. 2026-07-01

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (July 1).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  5. 2026-06-10

    Referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

    referral-committee

  6. 2026-05-28

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  7. 2026-05-27

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 60. Noes 9.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  8. 2026-05-27

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 60. Noes 9. Page 5466.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  9. 2026-05-18

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  10. 2026-05-14

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (May 14).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  11. 2026-05-06

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  12. 2026-04-23

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  13. 2026-04-16

    Re-referred to Com. on W., P., & W.

    referral-committee

  14. 2026-04-15

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W., P., & W. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  15. 2026-03-23

    Re-referred to Com. on W., P., & W.

    referral-committee

  16. 2026-03-19

    Referred to Com. on W., P., & W.

    referral-committee

  17. 2026-03-19

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W., P., & W. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  18. 2026-02-21

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  19. 2026-02-20

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

  • 02/20/26 - Introduced — 2026-02-20Compare
  • 03/19/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-03-19Compare
  • 04/15/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-04-15Compare
  • 07/02/26 - Amended Senate — 2026-07-02Compare
  • AB2521Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2026-04-23 · pass · 8-0

    Member-level votes (13)
    • Papan: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: other
    • Gallagher: other
    • Bains: other
    • Celeste Rodriguez: other
    • Alanis: other

  • Do pass.

    2026-05-14 · pass · 11-1

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Krell: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Tangipa: no
    • Ta: other
    • Dixon: other
    • Hoover: other

  • AB 2521 Papan Assembly Third Reading

    2026-05-27 · pass · 60-9

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Bennett: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Macedo: no
    • DeMaio: no
    • Flora: no
    • Jeff Gonzalez: no
    • Tangipa: no
    • Sanchez: no
    • Gallagher: no
    • Alanis: no
    • Ellis: no
    • Bains: other
    • Johnson: other
    • Hoover: other
    • Dixon: other
    • Celeste Rodriguez: other
    • Chen: other
    • Castillo: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Patterson: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Ta: other

  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2026-07-01 · pass · 6-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Laird: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Grove: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2521

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-17T23:47:19.294397Z

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