Senate BillIntroducedWater
SB 910: Municipal water districts: water service: Indian lands.
What SB 910 does, verified March 13, 2026
This bill aims to extend provisions related to municipal water districts providing water service to Indian lands. It allows districts to apply to local agencies to provide service to lands not within their boundaries until January 1, 2032. The state is required to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs, but this bill specifies that no reimbursement is required for this provision. The bill builds on existing law that grants powers to municipal water districts and requires them to provide water service to certain Indian tribes under specific conditions.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: March 18 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. (2026-03-12)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions5 total · showing 5
| Mar. 12, 2026 | March 18 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. |
| Mar. 05, 2026 | Set for hearing March 18. |
| Feb. 11, 2026 | Referred to Com. on L. GOV. |
| Jan. 27, 2026 | From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 26. |
| Jan. 26, 2026 | Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 26, 2026 · 1,043 words
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 910
| Introduced by Senator Seyarto (Coauthors: Senators Alvarado-Gil and Choi) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Hadwick and Tangipa) |
January 26, 2026 |
An act to amend Section 71611.5 of the Water Code, relating to water.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 910, as introduced, Seyarto. Municipal water districts: water service: Indian lands.
Existing law, the Municipal Water District Law of 1911, provides for the formation of municipal water districts and grants to those districts specified powers. Existing law permits a district to acquire, control, distribute, store, spread, sink, treat, purify, recycle, recapture, and salvage any water for the beneficial use of the district, its inhabitants, or the owners of rights to water in the district. Existing law, upon the request of certain Indian tribes and the satisfaction of certain conditions, requires a district to provide service of water at substantially the same terms applicable to the customers of the district to the Indian tribe’s lands that are not within a district, as prescribed. Existing law also authorizes a district, until January 1, 2027, under specified circumstances, to apply to the applicable local agency formation commission to provide this service of water to Indian lands, as defined, that are not within the district and requires the local agency formation commission to approve that application.
This bill would extend the above provisions regarding the application to the applicable local agency formation commission to January 1, 2032. By imposing new duties on local officials, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 71611.5 of the Water Code is amended to read:71611.5.
(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), upon the request of an Indian tribe and the satisfaction of the conditions stated in subdivision (b), a district shall provide service of water at substantially the same terms applicable to the customers of the district to an Indian tribe’s lands that are not within a district as if the lands had been fully annexed into the district and into any other public agencies required for the provision of water service if the Indian tribe’s lands meet all of the following requirements:(A) The lands were owned by the tribe on January 1, 2016.
(B) The lands are contiguous with at least two districts.
(C) The lands lie within the special study area of at least one district.
(D) At least 70 percent of the Indian tribe’s total Indian lands are currently within the boundaries of one or more districts.
(2) (A) Upon the request of an Indian tribe that does not meet the requirements of paragraph (1) and upon the satisfaction of the conditions stated in subdivision (b), a district may, until January 1, 2027, 2032, apply to the applicable local agency formation commission to extend water service at substantially the same terms applicable to customers of the district to Indian lands that are not within a district as if the lands had been fully annexed into the district and into any other public agencies required for the provision of water service. The local agency formation commission shall approve the application and may impose conditions on the district with regard to the extension of service in accordance with Section 56886 of the Government Code, as long as those terms and conditions do not impair the provision of water service to Indian lands pursuant to this section and are similar to those imposed on all agency service recipients without discrimination. A district shall provide the water extension agreement to the local agency formation commission.
(B) A local agency formation commission shall not approve an application on or after January 1, 2027. 2032. A district that received authorization to extend water service to Indian lands pursuant to subparagraph (A) may continue to do so after January 1, 2027, 2032, provided that the district continues to comply with the conditions imposed by the local agency formation commission.
(C) For purposes of this subdivision, “Indian lands” means Indian lands, as defined in Section 2703 of Title 25 of the United States Code, that are part of a reservation or held in trust.
(b) Before a district provides service of water pursuant to this section, the Indian tribe shall satisfy all of the following conditions:
(1) The Indian tribe complies with all federal and tribal laws.
(2) The Indian tribe acquires all federal and tribal approvals necessary for the applicable district to provide water service to the tribal lands on substantially the same terms applicable to customers of the district.
(3) The Indian tribe accepts, by agreement, all terms of, and payments, including service payments, to, the district and any public agency providing water to said district, as if the Indian tribe’s lands were fully annexed into the district and into the service area of any other public agency, which terms and payments are also a condition of continued service by a district and by any public agency providing water to said district.
(c) If a district provides service of water to an Indian tribe’s lands pursuant to this section, the service areas of the district and of any public agencies providing water to the district are deemed for all purposes to include the Indian tribe’s lands for the longest of the following periods of time:
(1) The time service of water is provided by the district to the Indian tribe.
(2) The time moneys are owed by the Indian tribe to the district for the service of water.
(3) The term of any agreement between the district and the Indian tribe.
SEC. 2.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by this act, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.Text of SB 910 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions