The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced SB 1055 on July 1, moving forward a bill by Sen. John Laird that would authorize additional procurement methods for the Pajaro River levee repair and flood-control project.
According to the committee hearing record on the Assembly video archive, Laird presented the bill as a way to speed delivery, reduce costs and improve quality control on the project, which is tied to levee repairs after flooding along the Pajaro River. The hearing record shows the measure advancing out of committee.
The same record shows Assemblymembers Dixon and Tangapot voting no, while Republicans did not record votes on the bill.
SB 1055 is aimed at a project that affects communities along the Pajaro River between Santa Cruz and Monterey. The committee record identifies the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency as the local agency associated with the measure’s technical assistance, and The Nature Conservancy testified in support.
The committee action is a procedural step, but it advances a bill that could change how a major flood-recovery project is procured.
