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Bill would let local governments raise fines and recover damages for commercial water theft
Summary
Sen. Allen's SB 394 would authorize local governments to increase civil fines and recover full damages for water hydrant theft; witnesses from multiple water districts described lost water and infrastructure damage; committee moved the bill to Judiciary.
Sen. Allen told the Assembly Local Government Committee that SB 394 responds to what supporters described as an emerging and costly pattern of commercial water theft from public hydrants. The bill would authorize local agencies to impose higher civil penalties and remove the one-year reset on fines; it would also allow agencies to pursue full damages in civil actions.
Supporters described technical and safety risks from improper hydrant connections, including equipment damage, contamination risks and reduced system pressure that can affect firefighting. Dave Peterson, general manager of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, said his district estimates as much as 50,000,000 gallons per year lost to hydrant theft and cited several hundred thousand dollars in losses and repair costs.
Organizations including the Association of California Water Agencies, the California Municipal Utilities Association and multiple local water districts registered support. No primary witnesses opposed the bill in committee. The committee recorded a move to refer SB 394 to the Judiciary Committee.
