In this episode of We Grow California, Darcy Villere sits down with Joaquin Esquivel, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, to talk about the future of California water. The episode covers how the Board balances the competing needs of agriculture, communities, and the environment during an era of droughts, floods, and climate uncertainty. Joaquin shares insights on SGMA enforcement, groundwater recharge, and the state’s push to ensure safe, clean drinking water for all Californians. His perspective offers a clear look at the challenges ahead and the opportunities for collaboration across the state.

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

After a few weeks of hiatus, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma joined Darcy & Darcy for an in-depth discussion on water, ag, infrastructure financing, and public service. If you don’t know what the state treasurer does, think of this position as the state’s primary banker. Treasurer Ma’s office processes more than $3 trillion in payments within a typical year and provides transparency and oversight for an investment portfolio of more than $124 billion, approximately $34.8 billion of which are local government funds. 

Ma has been a strong advocate for California’s agricultural sector and has worked on various initiatives to support farmers and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Her commitment to agriculture underscores her understanding of its vital role in California’s economy and environmental sustainability. But that’s not all!  Darcy & Darcy learned that Treasure Ma is the co-founder of the San Francisco Farm Bureau, and it all started with saving the historic Cow Palace! To find out the rest of the story, tune in!

For more information on the State Treasurer’s office including funding and financing resources, visit www.treasurer.ca.gov/index.asp 

Let us know what you’re thinking! You can provide comments, suggestions, questions, or recommendations at https://www.ecwaterpac.com/podcast/. Thanks for tuning in!

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Darcy & Darcy welcomed California State Senator Anna Caballero, representing District 14, which stretches across parts of Madera, Merced and Fresno counties. Last year, Senator Caballero joined us and shared with us her efforts on SB 366, a bill that was intended to modernize the California Water Plan and mandated that the Department of Water Resources to set long-term water supply targets.SB366 died in committee, leaving many in the water sector wondering if the water plan would ever have any accountability. 

The Senator’s back with the Darcys to talk about SB 72, which was just newly signed into law. SB 72 picked up where SB366 left off, setting statutory long-term targets, with an interim target of 9-million-acre-feet. The conversation goes far beyond the bill, and includes the challenges California cities, communities, and water districts face in managing flood waters, repurposing flood control dams for water storage as well, and more.  To learn more about Senator Caballero, visit www.sd14.senate.ca.gov/ .

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

With growing frequency, water systems, cities, and other water utilities have been held for ransom as a direct result of a cybersecurity attack.  These attacks can hold a system hostage for millions of dollars, jeopardizing customer data as well as water and wastewater operations; ultimately impacting public health and safety.  Many systems have recently discovered that insurance is no longer covering the bill. For policymakers, believing “We’re fine” is not only naive but also dangerous and can be extremely expensive.

This week, Darcy Villere and Darcy Burke welcomed American Water Works Association’s in-house cybersecurity expert, Dr. Kevin Morley, and Santa Margarita Water District Board Member and local government cybersecurity advisor, Frank Ury. Kevin and Frank share what the bad actors are doing and where they are hiding (It should scare you), why paranoia is not always such a bad thing, and why a recovery plan is critical. If your Cybersecurity or IT Team says, “We’re fine.” You need to listen.

For more information about Dr. Kevin Morley and the American Water Works Association’s cybersecurity resources, visit https://www.awwa.org/resource/cybersecurity-guidance/.  To learn more about Frank Ury and Santa Margarita Water District, visit https://www.smwd.com/. 

Let us know what you’re thinking! You can provide comments, suggestions, questions, or recommendations at https://www.ecwaterpac.com/podcast/. Thanks for tuning in! 

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Agriculture scored a win recently when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California’s ruling that the Clean Water Act’s exemption for “irrigated agriculture return flows” shields projects like the Grassland Bypass Project (GBP) from federal National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements.

At the heart of the issue is David Cory, President of the Grasslands Basin Authority. This week David joins Darcy and Darcy and shares the history of the GBP, the related San Joaquin River Water Quality Improvement Project (SJRIP), the eleven-year litigation, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, and much more. You’ll learn from David that even when you do things the right way from the beginning and involve the right stakeholders, things don’t always go as planned.  Be sure and listen-in! To learn more about David and the GBP, visit www.GBAAuthority.com.

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

One of Darcy Villere’s favorite projects is the long-awaited San Joaquin River Restoration Project. And after 16 years, there is some good news! This week Steve Chedester, Director of Policy and Programs for the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, joins Darcy V. and Darcy B. He provides a great project overview, the benefits, new funding, and of course, the ever-important new project price tag.

This is a multi-faceted project, with lots of complexities (Of course, there are – it’s a California water project!) and stakeholders. For more information about the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, visit www.restoresjr.net.  If you would like to learn more about Steve and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, visit www.sjrecwa.net. 

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Anja Raudabaugh, Chief Executive Officer of Western United Dairies joins Darcy and Darcy this week and shares how she led the effort to defeat Sonoma Ballot Proposition Measure J

a citizen-led initiative which would have banned dairy as well as similar farming operations. The ballot initiative was defeated with 85% of voters, NOT supporting the proposition. Anja was able to get the Republican Party of Sonoma County, but also the Democratic Party of Sonoma County AND the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to oppose the measure? How? That’s what the Darcy’s wanted to know! To find out Anja’s secrets, listen in!  To learn more about Anja and Western United Dairies, visit www.wudairies.com.  

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

The K.I.S.S. method, Keep it Simple (Sweetheart), is easier said than done. This is especially true when you are coordinating 23 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and their respective plans and consultants into one Groundwater Sustainability Plan. Yes, you read that right, twenty+ agencies!

Jarrett Martin, General Manager of Central California Irrigation District (CCID), took on that task for the Delta-Mendota Subbasin and believes that after two failed attempts they are close to approval. Darcy Villere and Darcy Burke have been waiting to have Jarrett on for quite some time and were eager to learn how he did it! Jarrett makes it sound easy. He shares the ultimate goals of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and how he managed to ‘Keep It Simple’.

Jarrett also shares how State Board staff knew and understood legacy conditions, which ended up being a game-changer. To find out more, and how Jarrett and the Delta-Mendota Subbasin achieved this herculean task, listen in!

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Assemblyman David Tangipa joins Darcy and Darcy for a great conversation that covers a wide range of California issues and topics! For those that don’t know him yet, David is the youngest person serving in the California legislature. He was elected to the California State Assembly in 2024 and represents District 8, which includes Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne counties.  Darcy & Darcy discuss with David his perspective on the business of California’s legislature, his first six months in office, some great ideas he has about putting existing infrastructure to work doing double duty, the impact the Groundwater Sustainability Act has had on his constituents, and most importantly, lessons learned.

One thing is clear: David is an upcoming California policy leader. The ECPAC is looking forward to hosting a fundraiser for David on July 31st at noon at M & M’s Italian Restaurant in Los Banos. If you would like to support David or join us for lunch, please contact Terra at (559) 281-9088 or email her at [email protected]. All are welcome to attend.

To learn more about Assemblyman Tangipa and District 8 visit www.ad08.asmrc.org/.

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources, a verifiable Woman of Water – aka a WOW - joins Darcy and Darcy this week and the conversation never stops! Karla shares her experiences and how relationships are the key to California’s water response success – especially in a crisis. She tells the Darcys how she has learned and adapted. Those lessons and adaptations came from weather uncertainty, regulations, legislation, and serving four (Yes FOUR!) Governors, each with their own Water and Delta plans. The complexity of her job grows daily, however, that has not dissuaded her. Karla shares that her job is to solve problems and she is ready for whatever may come.

Darcy and Darcy don’t let her off easy.  They ask her about floods and California’s preparedness, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, the Delta Conservation Plan (DCP), Infrastructure or lack thereof, and what keeps her up at night.  Listen in! This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

To learn more about the California Department of Water Resources, visit www.water.ca.gov. 

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.