Sequoia Riverlands Trust urges backing for Senate Bill 556 to route Prop. 4 funds to Tulare Valley floodplain restoration

Logan Robertson Hecker, executive director of Sequoia Riverlands Trust, told the Tulare County Water Commission on April 14, 2025, that Senate Bill 556 would secure Proposition 4 bond funds for multi‑benefit floodplain restoration and habitat conservation projects in Tulare, Kings and Kern counties.

Hecker said the Safe Drinking Water, Wildlife, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (commonly known as Proposition 4) authorized $10 billion in bonds and that $870 million of that total was designated to the Wildlife Conservation Board for grant programs. He described Senate Bill 556 as a vehicle to direct some of those funds to projects in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

Hecker told commissioners that multi‑benefit floodplain restoration gives rivers room to spread, slows floodwaters and increases groundwater recharge while creating habitat and recreational opportunities. "Not a panacea, but a tool in the toolbox of solutions," Hecker said, adding that the approach yields co‑benefits including fish and wildlife habitat restoration, job creation, carbon sequestration and cleaner water.

Hecker cited Dos Rios State Park — at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers — as a recent large example of land conversion to floodplain restoration and pointed to the local Dry Creek Preserve as a smaller example of restored land that helps spread high flows. He said the proposed projects are receiving support from a wide set of stakeholders, including farmers, environmental groups, irrigation districts and state and federal agencies.

Commissioners asked whether the bill includes measures for other flood control tools such as channel clearing. Hecker said Senate Bill 556 “focuses on floodplain restoration,” and that other parts of Proposition 4 or different programs would address channel work.

Hecker left a project summary sheet with the commission and encouraged commissioners to contact Senator Anna Caballero’s office or Senator Melissa Hurtado’s legislative staff for more details and for technical follow‑up.

Why it matters: Commissioners were told the southern San Joaquin Valley has historically received less state investment for conservation and flood management compared with other regions; proponents say directing Proposition 4 funds to multi‑benefit floodplain projects could reduce future flood damage and help replenish overdrafted aquifers.