Wildfire and Water Policy Advocacy for SB 310

1. I participated in the UC Water Academy, a voluntary program that brings together graduate students working on water issues from across the UCs with different academic backgrounds. As part of the program, I worked with two other graduate students to create a policy pitch project. We are now using our project to advocate for a current California State bill.

2. The program brought together 10 graduate students, faculty members, and policy experts from different UCs on a learning expedition focused on the relationship between wildfires and water systems. Forming relationships across sectors, backgrounds, and academic disciplines is critical to doing intersectional sustainability work. I chose to apply to the program because I understand how necessary different types of sciences and backgrounds are to developing and implementing water justice policy.

3. My project raised awareness about the pressing issue of wildfires and cultural burns. We presented well-researched data to a group of 30+ academics and policy experts across the UCs. We were able to persuade our audience and support key decision-makers to support Senate Bill 310 (2023, Dodd).

4. To start, the UC Water Academy program itself is a series of collaborations with academics and policy experts across the state. As part of the program, collaborative groups of graduate students develop policy pitch projects. My group went above and beyond the program’s expectations by seeking input and sharing our project findings with representatives from an impacted California Native American Tribe and a California State Senator with an active bill on the subject. We incorporated that feedback and drafted a support letter for the senate bill. In this way, our collaborative project now has a chance of being used to persuade other legislators to vote for the bill. Our project findings may also be included in official public records about the bill.

5. I scanned current legislation on the topic of wildfire and water and identified SB 310 as a potential policy pitch project. I took lead on writing the policy analysis portion of our policy pitch project. I then led the effort to seek input from outside sources on our project. I reached out to Senator Dodd’s office (the author of the bill) to seek input and share our eventual project findings. I am also still in contact with their office and have been tracking the bill to see when our group can submit an official letter of support.

6. Yes, my group plans to submit an official letter of support for SB 310 in the coming months (dependent on the legislative calendar). If the bill does not move forward this year, we plan to still provide contact information and a support letter template to Senator Dodd’s office in case a similar bill is introduced in the future.