SACRAMENTO, California — First-term California Assemblymember Nick Schultz introduced a bill Monday to grant certain California rivers state protections if they lose their federal protections.
The bill, A.B. 43, would give the Natural Resources secretary the authority to protect rivers from development by designating them “wild and scenic,” a process that usually requires legislative approval. It would apply if rivers lose their federal “wild and scenic” status.
It would indefinitely extend A.B. 2975, a 2018 Trump-proofing measure by Schultz’s predecessor, U.S. Rep.-elect Laura Friedman, which sunsets Dec. 31, 2025.
The agricultural industry and water agencies originally opposed A.B. 2975 but removed their opposition after Friedman added the sunset date.
