Government
Tribal groups could gain direct access to Delta funding
The California bill adds a Governor-appointed tribal representative and lets the conservancy award grants and loans to tribal organizations. A Lake County appointee and two liaison advisers would also join the board.
AB 2216 would add new voices to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy while keeping the fund in the State Treasury. Valley spending would still need its own appropriation.
- AB 2216 would add a Lake County appointee and a tribal representative to the Delta conservancy board.
- Two liaison advisers would come from the Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin River conservancies.
- The conservancy fund would stay in the State Treasury.
- Valley spending would still need a separate appropriation.
- The bill also opens the door to tribal partnerships, grants and loans.
In California, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s AB 2216 would change who sits at the table when the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy decides how to move money and shape projects. One Lake County appointee and one tribal representative would join the governing board, and two liaison advisers would come from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the San Joaquin River Conservancy.
A wider table
The bill does more than add seats. It would let the conservancy partner with tribal organizations and award them grants and loans, giving those groups a more direct role in the agency’s work.
The tribal representative would be appointed by the Governor and would still need Senate confirmation. The Lake County seat would be appointed by the county board of supervisors, which gives the county a formal voice in the conservancy’s decisions.
The fund stays fenced off
The money side stays tighter than the governance change. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy Fund would remain in the State Treasury, and any spending tied to Valley activities would still depend on a specific appropriation. The bill also says costs linked to the measure would be reimbursed under the existing statutory rules.
Recorded votes show the bill cleared the Assembly floor 73-1.