Pure Water Southern California Project Advanced with Strong Regional Support. The board approved guiding principles for Pure Water Southern California partnerships, a major water recycling initiative that could eventually provide up to 150 million gallons per day of locally-controlled, drought-resistant water supply. Multiple speakers emphasized this project would create approximately 60,000 jobs during construction, reduce dependence on imported water from the Colorado River and State Water Project, and provide critical insurance against climate change impacts. Partners including LA County Sanitation Districts (committing over $1 billion), Southern Nevada Water Authority (already funding the project in their rates), and multiple local water agencies expressed strong support for moving forward with the Environmental Impact Report consideration scheduled for next month.
New Brown Act Requirements Affect Remote Participation and Meeting Transparency. Senate Bill 707 introduced significant changes to the Brown Act effective January 1, 2025, with additional requirements for eligible legislative bodies taking effect July 1, 2026. Key changes include: permanent extension of social media communication exemptions (directors still may not "like" or comment on other directors' posts about district business), expanded "just cause" remote attendance allowing up to 7 times per year for circumstances including caregiving and official district travel, and new disability accommodation protocols. As an "eligible legislative body" with over 1,000 employees, Metropolitan will be required to provide hybrid meetings with two-way audio-visual access, translate agendas into the top three languages in the service area (Spanish, Chinese, and Armenian), and implement service disruption policies requiring one-hour recesses if technology fails, with these requirements taking effect by July 1, 2026.
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