Sen. Steve Padilla has gained a victory in the California State Senate's approval of a rescue mission for the Salton Sea, which was put into effect with Senate Bill 583, his own legislation. This bill establishes the Salton Sea Conservancy, a unified effort by the state to accelerate the delivery of preservation projects, safeguard public health and promote ecological recovery in the region.
“The environmental calamity at the Salton Sea is decades in the making,” Padilla said in a press release on June 1. “It is going to take unprecedented collaboration at all levels of government to adequately address this challenge. A conservancy would strengthen that necessary coordination and give local voices greater control in how limited state resources are spent addressing this crisis.”
SB 583 aims to establish the Salton Sea Conservancy as the central authority responsible for coordinating the management of all conservation initiatives in the area. Its primary objectives include restoring the diminishing sea and mitigating the adverse health effects inflicted by its presence.
"The Salton Sea is on life support, but a lack of coordination between the different members of its health team is hampering its recovery," Frank Ruiz, director of Audubon California's Salton Sea Program, said in the press release. "A conservancy would provide a single administrative umbrella to improve coordination between the Salton Sea Authority and other government agencies, tribes, as well as community and conservation organizations, allowing them to work more effectively together to save the Salton Sea."
The bill, enjoying bipartisan support, received unanimous approval with a 39-0 vote on May 31. It will now proceed to the Assembly for further consideration. For more information regarding SB 583, visit this link.
Padilla represents the 18th Senate District, encompassing the communities of Chula Vista, the Coachella Valley, Imperial Beach, the Imperial Valley, National City and San Diego. Prior to his election to the Senate in 2022, Padilla made history as the first person of color elected to city office in Chula Vista, serving as the city's first Latino mayor and the first openly LGBT individual elected or appointed to city office. To learn more about Padilla, visit his website at sd18.senate.ca.gov/.