MEDIA ADVISORY: ACWA Legislative Symposium Slated for March 7

SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 5, 2012) - The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) will host its annual Legislative Symposium on Wednesday, March 7, at the Sacramento Convention Center. The program will focus on water infrastructure and programs, pension reform and transparency in groundwater management.

State Sens. Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield) and Michael Rubio (D-Bakersfield) will join Assembly Members Kevin Jeffries (R-Riverside) and Henry Perea (D-Fresno) in a panel discussion on the water bond slated for the 2012 ballot. The panel will be moderated by ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn.

Another panel including Dennis O'Connor, principal consultant, Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Water, and Bob Reeb, principal, Reeb Government Relations, will explore the specifics of local groundwater management transparency as urged in ACWA's landmark policy document, "Sustainability from the Ground Up: A Framework for Groundwater Management in California," released in 2011.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg will discuss top priorities in the Legislature, including the 2012 water bond, during a luncheon address.

An afternoon panel will discuss the recent push for dramatic pension reform, and impacts of the various proposals being considered. The panel will include Karon Green, chief consultant, Assembly Committee on Public Employees, Retirement & Social Security; Marty Morgenstern, secretary, Labor and Workforce Development Agency; Dan Pellissier, president, California Pension Reform; and Jason Sisney, analyst, Legislative Analyst's Office.

WHAT: ACWA 2012 Legislative Symposium
WHEN: Wednesday, March 7, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
WHERE: Sacramento Convention Center, Rooms 314/315

ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 440 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.