Symposium on the 25th Anniversary of the Report of the Governor's Commission to Review California Water Rights Law
November 12, 2004
Schedule and List of Speakers
Registration Form
On May 11, 1977, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. promulgated an executive order creating the Governor’s Commission to Review California Water Rights Law. The order directed the Commission to “review existing California water rights law … evaluate proposals for modification … and recommend appropriate Legislation.” Although the immediate impetus for creation of the Commission was the severe drought that the state was then enduring, the drought merely emphasized a pressing need to identify and remove impediments to wise resource use.
On December 22, 1978, the Commission delivered its report to the Governor, making recommendations and proposing legislation on four general topics: increasing certainty of rights, improving efficiency of water use, protection of instream uses, and effective management of groundwater. In the roughly twenty-five years since the Commission submitted the report, some of its recommendations have been implemented and some have not, but there can be no argument that the report has played an important role in the development of current water law and policy. The purpose of the symposium is to examine, analyze, and assess the Report and its significance. Articles prepared for the symposium will be published in a forthcoming issue of the McGeorge Law Review. The issue will include retrospectives by several of the members of the Commission and its staff, student articles summarizing the recommendations of the Commission, and articles examining the recommendations of the Commission, including articles written by members of the Commission and staff.
The symposium participants, experts on California water law and policy, represent a variety of perspectives. Panel discussion is the primary format of the symposium. The discussions will be structured to allow for a vigorous exchange between the panelists and members of the audience.
MCLE Statement:
This program has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by The State Bar of California in the amount of six (6) hours. The University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law certifies that this activity conforms to the standards for approved educational activities prescribed by the rules and regulations of The State Bar of California governing minimum continuing legal education.
Location: campus - Gordon D. Schaber Law Library, California Room
Contact: Pauline Rodriguez, 916-739-7171