79700.

 This division shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Water Infrastructure Act of 2014.

79702.

 Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions set forth in this section govern the construction of this division, as follows:

(a) “CALFED Bay-Delta Program” means the program described in the Record of Decision dated August 28, 2000.

(b) “Commission” means the California Water Commission.

(c) “Committee” means the California Water Infrastructure Finance Committee created by Section 79812.

(d) “Delta” means the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as defined in Section 12220.

(e) “Delta conveyance facilities” means facilities that convey water directly from the Sacramento River to the State Water Project or the federal Central Valley Project pumping facilities in the south Delta.

(f) “Department” means the Department of Water Resources.

(g) “Director” means the Director of Water Resources.

(h) “Fund” means the California Water Infrastructure Fund of 2014 created by Section 79716.

(i) “Nonprofit organization” means an organization qualified to do business in California and qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(j) “Public agency” means a state agency or department, district, joint powers authority, city, county, city and county, or other political subdivision of the state.

(k) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency.

(l) “State General Obligation Bond Law” means the State General Obligation Bond Law (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

79705.

 An amount that equals not more than 5 percent of the funds allocated for a grant program pursuant to this division may be used to pay the administrative costs of that program.

79706.

 Up to 10 percent of funds allocated for each program funded by this division may be expended for planning and monitoring necessary for the successful design, selection, and implementation of the projects authorized under that program. This section shall not otherwise restrict funds ordinarily used by an agency for “preliminary plans,” “working drawings,” and “construction” as defined in the annual Budget Act for a capital outlay project or grant project. Water quality monitoring shall be integrated into the surface water ambient monitoring program administered by the State Water Resources Control Board.

79709.

 It is the intent of the people that the investment of public funds pursuant to this division will result in public benefits.

79710.

 The California State Auditor shall annually conduct a programmatic review and an audit of expenditures from the fund. The California State Auditor shall report its findings annually on or before March 1 to the Governor and the Legislature, and shall make the findings available to the public.

79711.

 Funds provided by this division shall not be expended to support or pay for the costs of environmental mitigation measures or compliance obligations of any party except as part of the environmental mitigation costs of projects financed by this division. Funds provided by this division may be used for environmental enhancements or other public benefits.

79712.

 Funds provided by this division shall not be expended to pay the costs of the design, construction, operation, or maintenance of Delta conveyance facilities. Those costs shall be the responsibility of the water agencies that benefit from the design, construction, operation, or maintenance of those facilities.

79713.

 (a) This division does not diminish, impair, or otherwise affect in any manner whatsoever any area of origin, watershed of origin, county of origin, or any other water rights protections, including, but not limited to, rights to water appropriated prior to before December 19, 1914, provided under the law. This division does not limit or otherwise affect the application of Article 1.7 (commencing with Section 1215) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 2, Sections 10505, 10505.5, 11128, 11460, 11461, 11462, and 11463, and Sections 12200 to 12220, inclusive.

(b) For purposes of this division, an area that utilizes water that has been diverted and conveyed from the Sacramento River hydrologic region, for use outside the Sacramento River hydrologic region or the Delta, shall not be deemed to be immediately adjacent thereto or capable of being conveniently supplied with water therefrom by virtue or on account of the diversion and conveyance of that water through facilities that may be constructed for that purpose after January 1, 2015.

(c) Nothing in this division supersedes, limits, or otherwise modifies the applicability of Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 1700) of Part 2 of Division 2, including petitions related to any new conveyance constructed or operated in accordance with Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 85320) of Part 4 of Division 35.

(d) Unless otherwise expressly provided, nothing in this division supersedes, reduces, or otherwise affects existing legal protections, both procedural and substantive, relating to the state board’s regulation of diversion and use of water, including, but not limited to, water right priorities, the protection provided to municipal interests by Sections 106 and 106.5, and changes in water rights. Nothing in this division expands or otherwise alters the state board’s existing authority to regulate the diversion and use of water or the courts’ existing concurrent jurisdiction over California water rights.

79714.

 Eligible applicants under this division are public agencies, nonprofit organizations, public utilities, and mutual water companies. To be eligible for funding under this division, a project proposed by a public utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission or a mutual water company shall have a clear and definite public purpose and shall benefit the customers of the water system.

79716.

 The proceeds of bonds issued and sold pursuant to this division shall be deposited in the California Water Infrastructure Fund of 2014, which is hereby created in the State Treasury.

79740.

 (a) Notwithstanding Section 162, the commission may make the determinations, findings, and recommendations required of it by this chapter independent of the views of the director. All final actions by the commission in implementing this chapter shall be taken by a majority of the members of the commission at a public meeting noticed and held pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

(b) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the sum of five four billion eight hundred million dollars ($5,800,000,000) ($4,800,000,000) is hereby continuously appropriated from the fund, without regard to fiscal years, to the commission for public benefits associated with water storage projects that improve the operation of the state water system, are cost effective, and provide a net improvement in ecosystem and water quality conditions, in accordance with this chapter. Funds authorized for, or made available to, the commission pursuant to this chapter shall be available and expended only for the purposes provided in this chapter, and shall not be subject to appropriation or transfer by the Legislature or the Governor for any other purpose.

(c) Projects shall be selected by the commission through a competitive public process that ranks potential projects based on the expected return for public investment as measured by the magnitude of the public benefits provided, pursuant to criteria established under this chapter.

(d) Any project constructed with funds provided by this chapter shall be subject to Section 11590.

79741.

 Projects for which the public benefits are eligible for funding under this chapter consist of only the following:

(a) Surface storage projects identified in the CALFED Bay-Delta Program Record of Decision, dated August 28, 2000, except for projects prohibited by Chapter 1.4 (commencing with Section 5093.50) of Division 5 of the Public Resources Code.

(b) Groundwater storage projects and groundwater contamination prevention or remediation projects that provide water storage benefits.

(c) Conjunctive use and reservoir reoperation projects.

(d) Local and regional surface storage projects that improve the operation of water systems in the state and provide public benefits.

79742.

 A project shall not be funded pursuant to this chapter unless it provides measurable improvements to the Delta ecosystem or to the tributaries to the Delta.

79743.

 (a) Funds allocated pursuant to this chapter may be expended solely for the following public benefits associated with water storage projects:

(1) Ecosystem improvements, including changing the timing of water diversions, improvement in flow conditions, temperature, or other benefits that contribute to restoration of aquatic ecosystems and native fish and wildlife, including those ecosystems and fish and wildlife in the Delta.

(2) Water quality improvements in the Delta, or in other river systems, that provide significant public trust resources, or that clean up and restore groundwater resources.

(3) Flood control benefits, including, but not limited to, increases in flood reservation space in existing reservoirs by exchange for existing or increased water storage capacity in response to the effects of changing hydrology and decreasing snow pack on California’s water and flood management system.

(4) Emergency response, including, but not limited to, securing emergency water supplies and flows for dilution and salinity repulsion following a natural disaster or act of terrorism.

(5) Recreational purposes, including, but not limited to, those recreational pursuits generally associated with the outdoors.

(b) Funds shall not be expended pursuant to this chapter for the costs of environmental mitigation measures or compliance obligations except for those associated with providing the public benefits as described in this section.

79744.

 In consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the department, the commission shall develop and adopt, by regulation, methods for quantification and management of public benefits described in Section 79743 by December 15, 2016. The regulations shall include the priorities and relative environmental value of ecosystem benefits as provided by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the priorities and relative environmental value of water quality benefits as provided by the State Water Resources Control Board.

79745.

 (a) Except as provided in subdivision (c), no funds allocated pursuant to this chapter may shall not be allocated for a project before December 15, 2016, and until the commission approves the project based on the commission’s determination that all of the following have occurred:

(1) The commission has adopted the regulations specified in Section 79744 and specifically quantified and made public the cost of the public benefits associated with the project.

(2) The department has entered into a contract with each party that will derive benefits, other than public benefits, as defined in Section 79743, from the project that ensures the party will pay its share of the total costs of the project. The benefits available to a party shall be consistent with that party’s share of total project costs.

(3) The department has entered into a contract with each public agency identified in Section 79744 that administers the public benefits, after that agency makes a finding that the public benefits of the project for which that agency is responsible meet all the requirements of this chapter, to ensure that the public contribution of funds pursuant to this chapter achieves the public benefits identified for the project.

(4) The commission has held a public hearing for the purposes purpose of providing an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the information required to be prepared pursuant to this subdivision.

(5) All of the following additional conditions are met:

(A) Feasibility studies have been completed.

(B) The commission has found and determined that the project is feasible, is consistent with all applicable laws and regulations, and will advance the long-term objectives of restoring ecological health and improving water management for beneficial uses of the Delta.

(C) All environmental documentation associated with the project has been completed, and all other federal, state, and local approvals, certifications, and agreements required to be completed have been obtained.

(b) The commission shall submit to the Legislature its findings for each of the criteria identified in subdivision (a) for a project funded pursuant to this chapter.

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), funds may be made available under this chapter for the completion of environmental documentation and permitting of a project.

79746.

 (a) The public benefit cost share of a project funded pursuant to this chapter, other than a project described in subdivision (c) of Section 79741, may shall not exceed 50 percent of the total costs of any project funded under this chapter.

(b) A project shall not be funded unless it provides ecosystem improvements as described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 79743 that are at least 50 percent of total public benefits of the project funded under this chapter.

79747.

 (a) A project is not eligible for funding under this chapter unless, by January 1, 2022, all of the following conditions are met:

(1) All feasibility studies are complete and draft environmental documentation is available for public review.

(2) The commission makes a finding that the project is feasible, and will advance the long-term objectives of restoring ecological health and improving water management for beneficial uses of the Delta.

(3) The director receives commitments for not less than 75 percent of the nonpublic benefit cost share of the project.

(b) If compliance with subdivision (a) is delayed by litigation or failure to promulgate regulations, the date in subdivision (a) shall be extended by the commission for a time period that is equal to the time period of the delay, and funding under this chapter that has been dedicated to the project shall be encumbered until the time at which the litigation is completed or the regulations have been promulgated.

79748.

 Surface storage projects funded pursuant to this chapter and described in subdivision (a) of Section 79741 may be made a unit of the Central Valley Project as provided in Section 11290 and may be financed, acquired, constructed, operated, and maintained pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 11100) of Division 6.

79749.

 (a) The funds allocated for the design, acquisition, and construction of surface storage projects identified in the CALFED Bay-Delta Record of Decision, dated August 28, 2000, pursuant to this chapter may be provided for those purposes to local joint powers authorities formed by irrigation districts and other local water districts and local governments within the applicable hydrologic region to design, acquire, and construct those projects.

(b) The joint powers authorities described in subdivision (a) may include in their membership governmental partners that are not located within their respective hydrologic regions in financing the surface storage projects, including, as appropriate, cost-share participation or equity participation. Notwithstanding Section 6525 of the Government Code, the joint powers authorities described in subdivision (a) shall not include in their membership any for-profit corporation, or any mutual water company whose shareholders and members include a for-profit corporation or any other private entity. The department shall be an ex officio member of each joint powers authority subject to this section, but the department shall not control the governance, management, or operation of the surface water storage projects.

(c) A joint powers authority subject to this section shall own, govern, manage, and operate a surface water storage project, subject to the requirement that the ownership, governance, management, and operation of the surface water storage project shall advance the purposes set forth in this chapter.

79749.5.

 (a) In approving the California Water Infrastructure Act of 2014, the people were informed and hereby declare that the provisions of this chapter are necessary, integral, and essential to meeting the single object or work of the California Water Infrastructure Act of 2014. As such, any amendment of the provisions of this chapter by the Legislature without voter approval would frustrate the scheme and design that induced voter approval of this act. The people therefore find and declare that any amendment of the provisions of this chapter by the Legislature shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership in each house of the Legislature and voter approval.

(b) This section shall not govern or be used as authority for determining whether the amendment of any other provision of this act not contained in this chapter would constitute a substantial change in the scheme and design of this act requiring voter approval.

79810.

 (a) Bonds in the total amount of five billion eight hundred million dollars ($5,800,000,000), not including the amount of any refunding bonds issued in accordance with Section 79822, or so much thereof as is necessary, may be issued and sold to provide a fund to be used for carrying out the purposes expressed in this division and to reimburse the General Obligation Bond Expense Revolving Fund pursuant to Section 16724.5 of the Government Code. The bonds, when sold, shall be and constitute valid and binding obligations of the State of California, and the full faith and credit of the State of California is hereby pledged for the punctual payment of both the principal of, and interest on, the bonds as the principal and interest become due and payable.

(b) The Treasurer shall sell the bonds authorized by the committee pursuant to this section. The bonds shall be sold upon the terms and conditions specified in a resolution to be adopted by the committee pursuant to Section 16731 of the Government Code.

79811.

 The bonds authorized by this division shall be prepared, executed, issued, sold, paid, and redeemed as provided in the State General Obligation Bond Law, and all of the provisions of that law apply to the bonds and to this division and are hereby incorporated in this division as though set forth in full in this division, except that Section 16727 of the Government Code shall not apply to the extent that it is inconsistent with any other provision of this division.

79812.

 (a) Solely for the purpose of authorizing the issuance and sale, pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law, of the bonds authorized by this division, the California Water Infrastructure Committee is hereby created. For purposes of this division, the California Water Infrastructure Committee is “the committee” as that term is used in the State General Obligation Bond Law.

(b) The committee consists of the Director of Finance, the Treasurer, the Controller, the Director of Water Resources, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency. Notwithstanding any other law, any member may designate a deputy to act as that member in his or her place for all purposes, as though the member were personally present.

(c) The Treasurer shall serve as chairperson of the committee.

(d) A majority of the members of the committee shall constitute a quorum of the committee, and may act for the committee.

79813.

 The committee shall determine whether or not it is necessary or desirable to issue bonds authorized pursuant to this division to carry out the actions specified in this division and, if so, the amount of bonds to be issued and sold. Successive issues of bonds may be authorized and sold to carry out those actions progressively, and it is not necessary that all of the bonds authorized to be issued be sold at any one time.

79814.

 “Board,” as defined in Section 16722 of the Government Code for the purposes of compliance with the State General Obligation Bond Law, means the department.

79815.

 There shall be collected each year and in the same manner and at the same time as other state revenue is collected, in addition to the ordinary revenues of the state, a sum in an amount required to pay the principal of, and interest on, the bonds each year, and it is the duty of all officers charged by law with any duty in regard to the collection of the revenue to do and perform each and every act that is necessary to collect that additional sum.

79816.

 Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, there is hereby appropriated from the General Fund in the State Treasury, for the purposes of this division, an amount that will equal the total of the following:

(a) The sum annually necessary to pay the principal of, and interest on, bonds issued and sold pursuant to this division, as the principal and interest become due and payable.

(b) The sum that is necessary to carry out the provisions of Section 79819, appropriated without regard to fiscal years.

79817.

 The board may request the Pooled Money Investment Board to make a loan from the Pooled Money Investment Account in accordance with Section 16312 of the Government Code for the purpose of carrying out this division. The amount of the request shall not exceed the amount of the unsold bonds that the committee has, by resolution, authorized to be sold for the purpose of carrying out this division. The board shall execute those documents required by the Pooled Money Investment Board to obtain and repay the loan. Any amounts loaned shall be deposited in the fund to be allocated in accordance with this division.

79818.

 Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, or of the State General Obligation Bond Law, if the Treasurer sells bonds that include a bond counsel opinion to the effect that the interest on the bonds is excluded from gross income for federal tax purposes under designated conditions, the Treasurer may maintain separate accounts for the bond proceeds invested and for the investment earnings on those proceeds, and may use or direct the use of those proceeds or earnings to pay any rebate, penalty, or other payment required under federal law or take any other action with respect to the investment and use of those bond proceeds, as may be required or desirable under federal law in order to maintain the tax-exempt status of those bonds and to obtain any other advantage under federal law on behalf of the funds of this state.

79819.

 For purposes of carrying out this division, the Director of Finance may authorize the withdrawal from the General Fund of an amount or amounts not to exceed the amount of the unsold bonds that have been authorized by the committee to be sold for the purpose of carrying out this division. Any amounts withdrawn shall be deposited in the fund. Any money made available under this section shall be returned to the General Fund, with interest at the rate earned by the money in the Pooled Money Investment Account, from proceeds received from the sale of bonds for the purpose of carrying out this division.

79820.

 All money deposited in the fund that is derived from premiums and accrued interest on bonds sold pursuant to this division shall be reserved in the fund and shall be available for transfer to the General Fund as a credit to expenditures for bond interest.

79821.

 Pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the cost of bond issuance shall be paid out of the bond proceeds. These costs shall be shared proportionately by each program funded through this division.

79822.

 The bonds issued and sold pursuant to this division may be refunded in accordance with Article 6 (commencing with Section 16780) of Chapter 4 of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code, which is a part of the State General Obligation Bond Law. Approval by the electors of the state for the issuance of the bonds under this division shall include approval of the issuance of any bonds issued to refund any bonds originally issued under this division or any previously issued refunding bonds.

79823.

 The proceeds from the sale of bonds authorized by this division are not “proceeds of taxes” as that term is used in Article XIII B of the California Constitution, and the disbursement of these proceeds is not subject to the limitations imposed by that article.

79824.

 Of the five billion eight hundred million dollars ($5,800,000,000) in bonds authorized in this division, no more than two billion nine hundred million dollars ($2,900,000,000) shall be sold by the Treasurer before July 1, 2019.