The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee considered two related bills that address conflicts between court‑ordered groundwater adjudications and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The committee advanced both measures — AB 1466 and AB 1413 — as amended to subsequent committees.

AB 1466 (local author/Assemblymember Hart) focuses on procedural protections for small groundwater users in adjudications. The bill would allow courts to hold a preliminary hearing early in a case to decide whether small water users should be exempt from full adjudication or have their claims handled separately; it would also direct groundwater sustainability agencies to prepare a technical report quantifying and describing water users to aid courts.

AB 1413 seeks to preserve the determination of sustainable yield established in a GSP by requiring courts to give deference to the GSP’s science and community process unless there is clear and convincing evidence of fundamental flaws. Supporters said the measure protects SGMA’s intent by preventing litigants from using adjudications to overturn locally approved sustainability determinations after extensive technical work and public processes.

Supporters included local groundwater authorities, family‑farm coalitions and conservation groups who said adjudications can be costly and disadvantage small pumpers who cannot afford protracted litigation. Opponents including water districts, agricultural trade associations and municipal utilities asked for further changes: they warned the bills may create jurisdictional confusion, risk reopening entire GSPs to judicial review, and impose impossible data collection requirements on under‑resourced GSAs.

Committee members stressed the need to balance due process and the protection of local planning. The author and opponents said they would continue negotiations to refine GSA reporting requirements, address statute‑of‑limitations concerns, and ensure the judicial review pathway preserves parties’ rights.

Both bills were moved forward with committee amendments and were left on call in the committee minutes.