SB 1291: Mutual water companies.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Under existing law, a mutual water company is defined as a corporation organized for or engaged in the business of selling, distributing, supplying, or delivering water for irrigation or domestic purposes that provides in its articles or bylaws that the water shall be sold, distributed, supplied, or delivered only to owners of its shares, as specified.

The Mutual Water Company Open Meeting Act requires a board of directors of a mutual water company that operates a public water system to allow an eligible person, as defined, to personally attend a meeting of the board, if the eligible person gave the board at least 24 hours’ advance written notice of their intent to personally attend the meeting. Existing law authorizes the board to allow an eligible person who was denied attendance at a meeting for failure to provide this notice, or because the number of eligible persons having already provided notice of attendance exceeds the room capacity of the place of the meeting, to attend the meeting by teleconference. Existing law requires the board to provide to an eligible person attending a meeting by teleconference a copy of the documents to be discussed at the meeting, except as specified.

This bill would eliminate the 24-hour notice requirement for an eligible person to personally attend a meeting. The bill would authorize the board of directors of a mutual water company with less than 50 connections to use teleconferencing to provide any eligible person access to the meeting and would require a board of directors of a mutual water company with 50 or more connections to use teleconferencing to provide any eligible person access to the meeting.

Existing law requires the board of a mutual water company that operates a public water system to adopt an annual budget, as specified, and also requires the board to contract with a public accountant, as specified, to conduct an annual review of the financial records and reports of the mutual water company. Existing law requires the minutes of a board meeting, as specified, the annual budget, the accounting report, and other specified documents to be provided to an eligible person upon request and upon reimbursement of the mutual water company’s costs for providing the document.

This bill would require those documents to be provided to an eligible person upon request in an electronic form or in a hard copy. The bill would authorize a mutual water company to require an eligible person who requests a hard copy of those documents to pay a fee for the direct costs of duplication, but would prohibit a mutual water company from charging a fee for providing those documents electronically. The bill would require the mutual water company to display on the mutual water company’s internet website detailed information on how an eligible person can request those documents, as specified.

Existing law requires eligible persons to be given notice of the time and place of a meeting of the board of directors at least 4 days prior to the meeting, except as specified.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. May 14, 2026May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
2. May 8, 2026Set for hearing May 14.
3. May 4, 2026May 4 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
4. April 24, 2026Set for hearing May 4.
5. April 22, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 4009.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
6. April 17, 2026Set for hearing April 22.
7. April 15, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on E.Q. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3898.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
8. April 9, 2026Set for hearing April 15.
9. April 8, 2026Re-referred to Coms. on B. & F.I. and E.Q.
10. March 24, 2026From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
11. March 4, 2026Referred to Com. on RLS.
12. February 23, 2026Read first time.