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State Water Board reports progress on Racial Equity Action Plan; office reorganized to include Tribal Affairs
Summary
At its March 4 meeting, the State Water Resources Control Board presented a 2024 annual update on its Racial Equity Action Plan, reporting work across 53 actions and naming an office reorganization that created an Office of Public Engagement, Equity and Tribal Affairs (OPITA).
The State Water Resources Control Board provided a 2024 annual update on its Racial Equity Action Plan during the March 4 meeting, reporting steady progress across multiple actions and the reorganization of the board's public-engagement office to add evaluation, data and tribal-focused roles.
Lede: Staff said the board's action plan (2023—2025) contains 53 actions that track progress in three strategic directions: integrating racial equity and measuring impact; activating BIPOC community wisdom and sharing power; and fostering internal workplace inclusion and equity. At the end of 2024 staff reported that a subset of actions were complete, many were in progress and a handful remained in scoping.
Nut graf: The board announced organizational changes designed to accelerate equity work: the Office of Public Engagement was reorganized and renamed the Office of Public Engagement, Equity and Tribal Affairs (OPITA), which now includes staff dedicated to tribal affairs, racial-equity data analysis and workforce equity and inclusion. Staff highlighted specific accomplishments including a tribal and tribal-data-focused training series, the development of an equity-focused data handbook and data hub, a tribal water data map co-developed with tribal partners, and a Racial Equity Data Subcommittee convened across regions and programs.
Details and next steps: Staff said they will revise the board's tribal-consultation policy and develop a tribal consultation protocol; the office solicited early requests for consultation through March 24 and expects to issue draft documents in summer 2025 followed by additional tribal consultation. Staff will continue work on guidance for language access, plain-language public notices, an equity-centered decision-making resource, and a workforce equity and inclusion plan.
Public comment and board discussion: Tribal and community leaders praised the expansion of tribal capacity-building and data access tools but urged consistent, timely consultation opportunities and expressed concern about federal funding cuts that affect tribal programs. Community groups urged explicit commitments for domestic well consolidation, emphasizing that federal uncertainty heightens the need for clear state funding priorities.
Ending: Staff framed the report as an update for 2024 and an invitation for further public and tribal feedback; they said the board will reconvene public engagement following two years of implementation to help shape the next three-year action plan.
Note: the item was informational. The board did not take formal action on the plan during the meeting.
