Groundwater rules and mandatory sick leave in spotlight
While the water law will introduce formal management to many basins in the region for the first time, it doesn’t fundamentally change the idea of proprietary groundwater rights. In employment law, starting next summer, California businesses of all sizes will have to give all employees — part-time, full-time or even temporary, exempt or non-exempt — at least three days a year of paid sick time.
Read More →Editorial: Common sense takes hold in Paso water debate
The solution lies in a bit of cooperation from the weather and the implementation of new technology to both measure supply and dramatically improve the management of demand for water. Some people don’t like these solutions because they mean accountability and almost certainly much higher costs for inefficient users.
Read More →Editorial: Lawsuits could derail Paso water fix
Depending on whether and how the county government elects to fight back against the suits, the legal actions could lead to what’s known as adjudication, in which courts oversee how water rights are allocated in the basin. This happened in Santa Maria, with proceedings dragging out over a decade and costs topping $11 million.
Read More →Editorial: Find local solutions first for Paso Robles water problems
North San Luis Obispo County has become ground zero for a debate over groundwater use and storage that’s spreading across the Highway 101 corridor.
A large area that includes portions of northeastern Paso Robles and inches toward the Monterey County line has been the subject of a heated debate about future water supplies and groundwater management. These days, two groups — the Paso Robles Agricultural Alliance for Groundwater Solutions, which seeks the creation of a California Water District to add new supplies, and PRO Water Equity, which opposes the ag group — are vying for public support.
Read More →Editorial: Taking time out to avoid a Paso Robles water crisis
After an epic 11-hour meeting, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors made the right decision when it voted 4-0 to impose a moratorium on new pumping in the Paso Robles groundwater basin. The emergency restriction could last up to two years and only allows new pumping if it is offset by a 1-to-1 Read More →
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Court rejects Central Coast landowners’ appeal in groundwater case
The Sixth Appellate District handed down a decision in a case that originally arose in 1997 as an effort to sort out groundwater rights in the Santa Maria basin
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