Bill Linking Development To Water In Davis' Hands

"Called "historic" by its author, Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, the bill forbids local governments from approving subdivisions with 500 or more homes unless builders identify a guaranteed water source. "Rarely do we bring together water-use planning and land-use planning," Kuehl said. "This is a question of whether those people coming to California will have water supplied to their houses." Kuehl's bill passed the Senate 25-10 on Thursday and was approved by the Assembly 44-29 earlier this month. So far, Davis hasn't indicated a position on the bill, which follows years of debate over building only where water is available, or building new dams and underground storage to provide more water for new housing."