Amid the Shifting Currents… What’s Our Policy Outlook?

December 12, 2024

Panelist, CFEE Water Conference 2024


Downey Brand water law counsel Ernest Conant will be participating in a panel discussion titled, “Amid the Shifting Currents… What’s Our Policy Outlook?” at 1:00 PM on Thursday, December 12, 2024, during the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy’s Annual Water Conference in Palm Springs.

With the Newsom Administration looking to finish strong while the Legislature welcomes dozens of fresh faces, California water policy is entering a unique period as established and emerging priorities converge. Add in a new administration in Washington D.C. and the next few years seem poised to keep us busy. This panel discussion will cover what we can expect:

• What key progress has the Newsom Administration made since 2018?
• As the Administration wraps up its second term, what are the top priorities in the final two years?
• With the 23-24 Legislative session behind us, what was accomplished? What is left undone that may come back in the new session?
• With so many new legislators, how will that affect the Legislature’s ability to take on major water policy issues?
• What do the early tea leaves portend for the post-Biden era?

Co-panelists include:

  • Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency
  • Diane Papan, Chair, Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife

California is diving headfirst into a world of affordability challenges as we strive for a sustainable, comprehensive water system. While many of the investments in infrastructure, supply diversity, conservation, and water quality make sense individually, collectively they represent a rising tide of costs that threaten to overwhelm our existing funding mechanisms.

This year’s Water Conference will explore the very real tradeoffs and costs of our water ambitions as we consider the right combination of necessary targets and practical solutions to upgrade, manage, and sustain a resilient and affordable water system for the decades to come.