California 20252026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

AB 497 — San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary Water Quality Control Plan: update: substitute environmental document: exemption.

Last action — From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Assembly. Introduced February 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Assembly.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act establishes a statewide program for the control of the quality of all the waters in the state and makes certain legislative findings and declarations. Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board to exercise the adjudicatory and regulatory functions of the state in the field of water resources. Pursuant to its authority, the board adopted the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan) that, among other things, establishes objectives to protect the beneficial uses of the water and prevent nuisance within the waters specified in the Bay-Delta Plan. Existing law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA, except as provided, when a regulatory program of a state agency requires a plan or other written documentation containing environmental information, authorizes that plan or other information to be submitted in lieu of the EIR if the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency has certified that regulatory program, as specified. This bill would require the board to adopt an update to the Bay-Delta Plan that addresses the Sacramento River and its tributaries, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) eastside tributaries, and the Delta no later than August 31, 2026. The bill would exempt the board from the requirements to prepare, provide for review, transmit to state agencies, and include written or oral responses to comments on a specified draft substitute environmental document, as provided.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

  3. Re-referred to Com. on W. P., & W.

  4. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W. P., & W. Read second time and amended.

  5. Referred to Coms. on W. P., & W., E.S & T.M. and NAT. RES.

  6. From printer. May be heard in committee March 13.

  7. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 497 do?
The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act establishes a statewide program for the control of the quality of all the waters in the state and makes certain legislative findings and declarations. Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board to exercise the adjudicatory and regulatory functions of the state in the field of water resources. Pursuant to its authority, the board adopted the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan) that, among other things, establishes objectives to protect the beneficial uses of the water and prevent nuisance within the waters specified in the Bay-Delta Plan. Existing law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA, except as provided, when a regulatory program of a state agency requires a plan or other written documentation containing environmental information, authorizes that plan or other information to be submitted in lieu of the EIR if the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency has certified that regulatory program, as specified. This bill would require the board to adopt an update to the Bay-Delta Plan that addresses the Sacramento River and its tributaries, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) eastside tributaries, and the Delta no later than August 31, 2026. The bill would exempt the board from the requirements to prepare, provide for review, transmit to state agencies, and include written or oral responses to comments on a specified draft substitute environmental document, as provided.
Who sponsors AB 497?
AB 497 is sponsored by Wilson, Lori D. (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 497?
This bill is in committee in the Assembly. Introduced February 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track AB 497?
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