CA SB 997
enactedNorth Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency: lien authority.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
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Quick answers
Did CA SB 997 pass?
Yes. CA SB 997 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-07-13): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 86, Statutes of 2026.
What is CA SB 997 about?
Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin. The act deems certain agencies created by statute to manage groundwater the exclusive local agencies within their respective statutory boundaries with powers to comply with the act and authorizes these agencies to opt out of being the exclusive groundwater management agency. Existing law establishes the North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency, requires the agency to be a groundwater sustainability agency under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act for that portion of the Kings Subbasin that lies within the boundaries of the agency, and requires the agency to develop and implement a groundwater sustainability plan to achieve sustainable groundwater management within the territory of the agency. Existing law generally specifies the powers of the agency, including the power to impose fees, including, but not limited to, permit fees and fees on groundwater extraction or other regulated activity, to fund the costs of a groundwater sustainability program. This bill would authorize the agency to impose civil penalties on any person who extracts groundwater in excess of the amount that person is authorized to extract under a rule, regulation, ordinance, or resolution adopted by the agency. If any charges for water and other services imposed by the agency pursuant to its authority remain unpaid, the bill would authorize the amount of unpaid charges, in the discretion of the agency, to be secured at any time by filing for record in the office of the county recorder of any county a certificate specifying the amount of the charges and the name and address of the person liable for the charges. The bill would require that, from the time of recordation of the certificate, the amount required to be paid together with interest and penalties would constitute a lien upon all real property in the county owned by the person or afterwards, and before the lien expired, acquired by that person. The bill would require that the lien has the force, priority, and effect of a judgment lien, and that the lien shall continue for 10 years from the date of the filing of the certificate unless sooner released or otherwise discharged. The bill would also authorize the lien to be extended, as provided.
Who sponsors CA SB 997?
Caballero is the primary sponsor of CA SB 997.
Description
Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin. The act deems certain agencies created by statute to manage groundwater the exclusive local agencies within their respective statutory boundaries with powers to comply with the act and authorizes these agencies to opt out of being the exclusive groundwater management agency. Existing law establishes the North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency, requires the agency to be a groundwater sustainability agency under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act for that portion of the Kings Subbasin that lies within the boundaries of the agency, and requires the agency to develop and implement a groundwater sustainability plan to achieve sustainable groundwater management within the territory of the agency. Existing law generally specifies the powers of the agency, including the power to impose fees, including, but not limited to, permit fees and fees on groundwater extraction or other regulated activity, to fund the costs of a groundwater sustainability program. This bill would authorize the agency to impose civil penalties on any person who extracts groundwater in excess of the amount that person is authorized to extract under a rule, regulation, ordinance, or resolution adopted by the agency. If any charges for water and other services imposed by the agency pursuant to its authority remain unpaid, the bill would authorize the amount of unpaid charges, in the discretion of the agency, to be secured at any time by filing for record in the office of the county recorder of any county a certificate specifying the amount of the charges and the name and address of the person liable for the charges. The bill would require that, from the time of recordation of the certificate, the amount required to be paid together with interest and penalties would constitute a lien upon all real property in the county owned by the person or afterwards, and before the lien expired, acquired by that person. The bill would require that the lien has the force, priority, and effect of a judgment lien, and that the lien shall continue for 10 years from the date of the filing of the certificate unless sooner released or otherwise discharged. The bill would also authorize the lien to be extended, as provided.
- Introduced
- 2026-02-09
- Latest action
- 2026-07-13 — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 86, Statutes of 2026.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Caballeroauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-07-13
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 86, Statutes of 2026.
became-law
2026-07-13
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2026-07-07
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
executive-receipt
2026-06-30
In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
committee-passage
2026-06-29
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-06-29
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 5925.) Ordered to the Senate.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-06-24
Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
reading-1,reading-2
2026-06-23
From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (June 23).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-06-16
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 16). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-05-26
Referred to Coms. on W., P., & W. and JUD.
referral-committee
2026-05-19
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
reading-1
2026-05-18
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4306.) Ordered to the Assembly.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-04-30
Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-04-29
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 13. Noes 0. Page 4084.) (April 28).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-04-10
Set for hearing April 28.
2026-04-09
Set for hearing April 21.
2026-04-09
April 21 hearing postponed by committee.
2026-04-08
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3758.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-03-24
Set for hearing April 7.
2026-03-12
March 24 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2026-03-11
Set for hearing March 24.
2026-02-18
Referred to Coms. on N.R. & W. and JUD.
referral-committee
2026-02-10
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 12.
2026-02-09
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
Versions
Documents
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Votes
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2026-04-07 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Seyarto: yes
- Stern: yes
- Becker: yes
- Grove: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Allen: yes
Do pass as amended
2026-04-28 · pass · 13-0
Member-level votes (13)
- Niello: yes
- Laird: yes
- Allen: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Stern: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Wiener: yes
3rd Reading
2026-05-18 · pass · 38-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Caballero: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Grove: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Laird: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Choi: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Becker: yes
- Jones: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Stern: yes
- Limón: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Allen: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Padilla: other
- Niello: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2026-06-16 · pass · 11-0
Member-level votes (12)
- Bennett: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Papan: yes
- Hart: yes
- Bains: other
Do pass. To Consent Calendar.
2026-06-23 · pass · 12-0
Member-level votes (12)
- Stefani: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Papan: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Macedo: yes
SB 997 Caballero Consent Calendar Second Day
2026-06-30 · pass · 73-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Rivas: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Flora: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Ta: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Solache: yes
- Ward: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Papan: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Berman: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Haney: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Fong: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Chen: yes
- Soria: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Patel: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Addis: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Johnson: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Lee: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Hart: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Davies: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Krell: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Lackey: other
- Lowenthal: other
- Bains: other
- Carrillo: other
- Boerner: other
- Muratsuchi: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
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Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-08-09T02:43:30.625579Z
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