On behalf of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors and the Tulare County Water Commission, we write to respectfully inform you of our support of Senate Bill 1426 Illegal Cannabis Cultivation Water Theft and Pollution. Illegal cannabis farms are a serious and growing threat across rural areas of California, including Tulare County. Illicit cannabis cultivators are known to engage in human trafficking, water theft, and environmental pollution as part of their operations. Because some cultivation sites go undetected for years, the environmental damage could last generations.
Most agricultural growers in Tulare County are subject to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, CV SAL TS program, and the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. Additionally, growers must adhere to the stringent pesticide use regulations established by the State of California. Illegal cannabis growers can bypass these regulatory requirements and cause harm to those reliant on groundwater for domestic purposes. SB 1426 amends Section 11358 of the Health and Safety Code to include groundwater as a public resource, and establish that the theft of groundwater, unauthorized tapping into a water conveyance or storage infrastructure, or digging an unpermitted, illegal well may also be punished by imprisonment.
For all these reasons, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors and Tulare County Water Commission supports SB 1426.
Sincerely,
Edwardo Valero
Chair, Tulare County Board of Supervisors
cc: Senator Caballero; Rachel Wagoner, Deputy Legislative Secretary; Christine Hironaka, Deputy Cabinet Secretary; Marie Herrera, Central Valley Deputy Regional Director for External Affairs; Tulare County Delegation; Paul Yoder, Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange