South Gate Legislative Water Workshop
On Thursday, November 7, 2019, the WELL team went to South Gate, California, to co-host the Legislative Water Workshop along with State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (AD-63), former WELLos Belen Bernal (City of South Gate Mayor) and Denise Diaz (City of South Gate Vice Mayor), and the Water Replenishment District.
The workshop brought together more than 40 leaders from across the region to discuss water issues affecting Southeast Los Angeles. Robb Whitaker, General Manager of the Water Replenishment District, discussed the status of water in the region, focusing on groundwater supplies. Keith Lilley, Water Resources Deputy Director at the Los Angeles County Public works gave everyone the ins and outs of Measure W—funding allocation, roll-out, and other policy logistics. Lastly, Irma Muñoz, founder of Las Mujeres de la Tierra and board member of the Los Angeles County Regional Water Quality Control Board, spoke passionately about the need for local elected officials to get involved with water policy and decision making.
WELL is grateful to these water experts for sharing their knowledge with local leaders, as well as to the event’s moderator, Marybeth Vergara, Program Analyst, from the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. We would also like to thank those who attended for their engagement in and their passion about their community’s water resources. For those who were not able to attend but want to know what was discussed, we live-streamed the entire event to WELL’s Facebook page.