Advertise on podcast: CMUA Water & Power Leadership

Water rights is a hot topic that state policymakers are considering in Sacramento during the 2023 legislative session. Andrea Abergel, the California Municipal Utilities Association's manager of water policy, goes in-depth on two bills that originated in the Assembly, what the negative impacts could be if the legislation becomes law, and how CMUA is engaging in advocacy and education as part of a broader coalition opposing the bills. Note: This episode was recorded before recent activity that likely will make Assembly Bill 460 a two-year bill, meaning it would be considered no sooner than 2024.

Guest: Martin L. Adams, general manager and chief engineer, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power In a wide-ranging conversation, Adams talks about his long career at LADWP, how the water and energy industry is changing in Southern California, and what LADWP is doing to lead on issues such as zero carbon energy, clean drinking water, and diversity and equity.

Guest: San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl Kerl talks about how the Water Authority is adapting and innovating for this year's drought and beyond, while continuing to provide reliable service to customers and reshaping the Water Authority's internal processes, values and structure.

CMUA Deputy Executive Director Danielle Blacet-Hyden explains why California water agencies are feeling the pandemic’s financial pinch. But the water will keep flowing.

Guest: California State Senator Anna Caballero, D-Salinas Caballero, whose district encompasses many Central Valley communities, discusses her legislative efforts to support safe drinking water in California, the essential role of hydropower to achieve California's clean energy goals, and what she learned as a mayor and councilmember in Salinas.

Guest: Michael Wara, JD, PhD, senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment and the director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University. Wara discusses the many findings of a new report from the California Council on Science and Technology called "The Costs of Wildfire in California." Download the CCST report at https://ccst.us/reports/the-costs-of-wildfire-in-california/

In this episode, we look back at California's 2020 legislative session — a year unlike any other — with CMUA's advocacy team. We talked about the water and energy legislation that did and didn't pass, the Governor's performance during the COVID emergency, how the pandemic changed everything inside and outside the State Capitol, and what the big issues could be in 2021.

Guest: Chris Garner, general manager of the City of Long Beach, California's Water Department and CMUA Board President. Chris has a broad perspective: He previously led Long's Beach's gas and oil utility for two decades. Chris talks about what it has been like to lead a utility during the pandemic, how he got started in the industry and what the future might look like for the utility sector.

Guest: Paul Hauser, general manager of Trinity Public Utilities District in Weaverville, Calif. For many years, Trinity PUD has been looking at ways to reduce the threat of fires in its service area, which is located on heavily forested and sparsely populated land in Northern California. With California's 2020 fire season shattering records, there's new urgency to take action. Trinity PUD is embarking on an innovative pilot project.