News from Supervisor V. Manuel Perez
Palm Desert, CA: The California state budget, signed by Gov. Newsom on Monday, includes $47 million to implement Salton Sea projects both in the southern and northern portions of the Salton Sea.
“This is a big win for the Salton Sea, Imperial County and our Riverside County communities,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “I am pleased that we continue to move forward on the Salton Sea, and help get a project started for the north end. I thank Governor Newsom, as well as the great advocacy of Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, and Salton Sea coalition partners, for maintaining critical support for the Salton Sea, especially during these challenging times.”
The state budget allocates $28 million to implement the New River Improvement Plan to protect vulnerable communities from exposure to the New River, a dangerously polluted waterway that flows north across the United States-Mexico border, through the city of Calexico, to the Salton Sea.
The budget also includes $19.25 million for the North Lake Pilot Project. The Salton Sea Authority will design and build a first section of deep water recreational habitat for the Perimeter Lake along the northern shoreline of the Salton Sea.
As a state legislator, Perez authored Assembly Bill 1079 (2009-2010) to initiate the New River Improvement Project and facilitate the clean-up of the New River, as well as AB 71 (2013-2014) which required the state to work in partnership with the local jurisdictions of the Salton Sea Authority.
Last week, Supervisor Perez was named vice chair of the Salton Sea Authority board of directors for the term beginning July 1. Imperial Irrigation District Vice President Alex Cardenas will serve as chair of the Salton Sea Authority.
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Supervisor V. Manuel Perez is the chair of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, representing the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County as the Fourth District Supervisor. Stretching from Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, south to the Salton Sea and east to Blythe and the Colorado River, the Fourth District is the largest geographical district in the county.
Supervisor Perez’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.