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State board staff tell work group equity commitment remains but funding and staffing shifts loom
Summary
State Water Resources Control Board staff told the Equity Work Group that the board’s racial equity initiatives remain a priority, but funding changes and the state budget process could affect staff support for council activities.
Anna Holder, open data science, equity and tribal coordinator at the State Water Resources Control Board, told the Equity Work Group that the board’s commitment to equity remains strong even as federal and state funding shifts create uncertainty for staff support of council initiatives.
Holder said the board received an update about its racial equity action plan and related activities at a March meeting and that she anticipates more clarity after the state’s May revise budget documents. “I am really looking forward to the California May revise, because that's, I think, gonna shine a lot of light on what our funding situation will look like,” she said.
Holder described the board’s equity efforts as a continuing priority and said staff are attempting to balance operational work with responsive support for communities and tribal partners recovering from emergencies. She said the Office of Information Management and Analysis (OIMA) is focusing on creating tools and resources that “support and partner with communities and tribes in a way that's not burdensome.”
Work group members raised funding and staffing concerns. Anna and others noted that many co-chair and volunteer roles across council work groups are unpaid, and one member urged keeping co-chair qualifications flexible to lower barriers to participation. Holder encouraged the group to share ideas for how the council can maintain equity work under constrained budgets and said the issue will be discussed at the council level.
No formal votes or policy changes were made during the meeting; the exchange was informational and identified potential follow-up topics for the June council meeting.
