Government Affairs
Western Municipal Water District (WMWD) works with public officials in all levels of government (federal, state, and local/municipal) to produce sensible and reasonable policies and regulations with regards to both clean drinking water and its own internal operations and affairs. While many of these policies directly affect the quality of the water that Western provides, some of these have more to do with upstream sources of water that is supplied to Riverside, for example from the Colorado River.
- Western's Legislative Principles
- Western's Top Legislative Priorities
- Western's Federal Legislative Priorities
- Western's State Legislative Priorities
While many of our legislative priorities at the federal and state levels of government phase in and out of relevance depending on what issues are pertinent and need to be addressed, one thing that does not change is the approach we take with regards to our advocacy for these policies. While we do update it from time to time, our Legislative Policy Platforms and Principles generally serve as a set of guidelines in understanding and formulating federal and state policy proposals, and deciding which policies are beneficial to our ratepayers.
View Western’s Legislative Policy Platform and Principles (PDF)
While we have many policy proposals that directly or indirectly impact our ratepayers, our team has determined that some of them are more pressing and deserve to be addressed with a higher level of priority. The current list is based on trends that have been observed over the past few years and is intended to assist our staff in understanding what issues are of the most urgent concern to our ratepayers.
WMWD 2022 Top Federal and State Legislative Priorities (PDF)
Western’s Federal Legislative Priorities (Federal Priorities) is a comprehensive list of federal policy proposals that Western endorses or opposes and is produced and updated yearly based on both short and long-term trends and issues that have come up within the past few years or are likely to come up in the future. Like the Legislative Principles that it is based on, it is not intended to be an all-knowing authoritative list but instead serves again as a guide to our advocacy efforts on behalf of our ratepayers and assists in establishing priorities for our advocacy efforts.
In addition to engaging in federal advocacy efforts, Western may also support its nationwide associations by signing on to letters of support or opposition to issues that are addressed within the Federal Priorities but are not always a top priority for Western.
View Western’s Federal Legislative Priorities (PDF)
Resources
Western’s State Legislative Priorities (State Priorities) guide Western’s legislative activities at the State level. The State Priorities are based on the Legislative Platform and Principles but are adjusted yearly to reflect the relevant policy issues of that year.
Due to the number of issues brought forward each year from the California State Legislature and the limited resources Western has to engage on every issue effectively, the State Priorities provide Western staff direction as to which legislative issues take priority when advocating. These State Priorities are not meant to be restrictive and may change during the year if a critical issue emerges that was not initially foreseen. Western may also support its statewide associations by signing-on to letters of support or opposition to issues that are addressed within the State Priorities but are not necessarily a top priority for Western.
View Western’s State Legislative Priorities (PDF)
Resources
All of these are subject to change following redistricting efforts.
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Riverside County Board of Supervisors
First District | Karen Spiegel Second District | Chuck Washington Third District | Jeff Hewitt Fifth District |
View our GIS map of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors
California State Senate
28th District | 31st District |
View our GIS map of the California State Senate
California State Assembly
| Sabrina Cervantes 60th District | Jose Medina 61st District | Kelly Seyarto 67th District | Marie Waldron 75th District |
View our GIS map of the California State Assembly
United States House of Representatives
California's 41st Congressional District | California's 42nd Congressional District | California's 50th Congressional District |
Visitors who are interested in learning more about federal and/or state policies that impact the operations of Western and the quality of the water it provides may be interested in having a look at these additional resources:
- U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife: Provides a brief list of water-related issues that may come up in the United States Senate. Other pages on the website may list water-related legislative proposals.
- Committee Activity on Congress.gov: Lists all bills introduced to the committee that mention water.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Water Topics: Lists information and resources at the federal level pertaining to the regulation of water.
- California Senate Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communication: Adopts regulations that all public utilities must abide by.
- California Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality: Regulates the quality of water.
- California Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials: Regulates the quality of drinking water.
- California Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy: Regulates the operation of water utilities.
- California Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife: Regulates water resources.
- California Legislative Information: Water Code: Lists various legal codes related to water.
- California State Water Resources Control Board: Branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency specializing in water quality.
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Western supports commitment to reducing demands on Colorado River
Recognizing that a reliable water supply is critical to all economies and communities relying on the drought-stricken Colorado River, Western Municipal Water District (Western) joins more than 30 water agencies and providers in taking additional... Read on... -
Western invests $725k in programs to transform thirsty turf into drought-friendly landscaping
Residential and commercial businesses served by the Western Municipal Water District (Western) can now tap into increased funding to reduce outdoor water use and comply with evolving State regulations banning non-essential turf. Read on... -
Western celebrates water industry professionals across California
Two significant opportunities to celebrate the outstanding contributions of Western Municipal Water District (Western) employees come together this week with the designation of Water Professionals Appreciation Week and Customer Service Week. Read on... -
Western honored for outstanding communications programs
At three separate awards ceremonies, Western Municipal Water District (Western) received state, national and international recognition Read on... -
Local Water Agencies Support the Governor’s California Water Supply Strategy and Stand by to Invest
Four water agencies in Riverside County acknowledge Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest strategy for combatting the ongoing effects of drought throughout California with funding for water reliability projects and agree that conservation cannot be the only... Read on...