Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 583 into law, creating the Salton Sea Conservancy, a new entity tasked with unifying the state’s efforts to address the health and environmental challenges posed by the shrinking lake.
The bill, authored by Sen. Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), aims to protect residents’ health, foster ecological recovery and give local stakeholders a greater voice in restoration efforts.
“This conservancy is a demonstration of the state’s commitment to meaningful and lasting restoration of this environmentally overburdened region,” Padilla said. “We must center these remediation efforts on the communities that have waited generations for the means and the avenue to address the challenges the Sea poses — the Salton Sea Conservancy will empower these local voices with just those tools. This historic victory belongs to them.”
The Salton Sea Conservancy, California’s 11th conservancy and the first in over 15 years, is tasked with coordinating management of all conservation projects in the region to restore the shrinking sea and reduce the negative health impact the sea imposes.
The state has committed more than $250 million for restoration efforts, with additional funds contingent on voter approval of the 2024 Safe Drinking Water and Clean Air Bond Act.