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Excellent Fiscal Forecast Reported by Legislative Analyst’s Office The non-partisan LAO, which exists to provide objective analysis of public policy to the Legislature, recently released its annual report outlining California’s fiscal outlook in advance of the 2019-20 legislative and budget season. This report is intended to inform the legislature of revenue expectations in the coming [...]

WEF Water Leaders Program Now Accepting Applications The Water Environment Federation has begun accepting applications for its water leaders program. As the water sector faces challenges from aging infrastructure, climate change, financial constraints and increased demands, professionals who can develop and implement solutions to these issues are needed. The WEF Water Leadership Institute is designed [...]

CASA Celebrates Successful Conclusion to NACWA National Clean Water Law Seminar Law The 2018 NACWA Clean Water Law Seminar was held in San Diego on November 14-16. Several CASA staff, consultants and member agencies participated in the event. CASA’s Executive Director Bobbi Larson participated in a successful panel covering the most significant Clean Water Act [...]

Big Changes in Washington D.C. The most significant change following the midterm election is the shift of power in the House of Representatives. For eight years, the House has been under a Republican majority. The Democrats gained more than 30 seats in key swing districts, with six seats still too close to call. Notably for water [...]

The New Legislative Landscape The results of the midterm elections will bring significant changes in California that will impact water and wastewater policies. In the coming days, Governor-elect Gavin Newsom will finalize his administration and select key advisors to serve in his cabinet. The incoming administration will work closely with Governor Brown’s team to compile the [...]

CASA Contributes to Focused Work on Emerging Chemicals The family of chemicals known as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances have recently emerged as a growing concern in biosolids and wastewater. Some regulatory agencies, particularly in the northeastern United States, have begun to scrutinize biosolids and other residuals due to fears of PFAS leaking from soils [...]

Five CASA Members Selected to Apply for WIFIA Loans Congratulations to CASA member agencies who were invited to apply for FY 2018 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans. The WIFIA program is inviting 39 projects in 16 states to apply for funding. The City of Stockton, City of Los Angeles, Silicon Valley Clean Water, [...]

Save the Date With the focus on the new congressional landscape, this is a friendly reminder that the CASA Washington D.C. Policy Forum is February 25-27, 2019. The conference will take place at the St. Regis, the same venue as last year. We will have an impressive slate of speakers to discuss how the midterm [...]

CASA Weighs in on Proposed Changes to State Revolving Fund Policy On October 19, CASA submitted comments on proposed revisions to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Policy. Facing unprecedented demand for funding, the State Water Board is proposing a new scoring system to rank applications and establish a fundable list of projects. Many of CASA’s [...]