California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a package oflegislation yesterday designed to strengthen the state's floodprotections with land-use plans and other requirements.

"California's Central Valley has thousands of miles of leveesprotecting millions of residents, and we expect millions more inthe coming decades," the governor said. "We want to make sure thetragedies of Hurricane Katrina do not happen here if there is anearthquake or other natural disaster."

The governor signed six bills into law, including Senate Bill 5by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, which requires the Department ofWater Resources and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board toprepare and adopt a Central Valley Flood Protection Plan by2012.

It establishes flood protection requirements for local land-usedecisions consistent with the Central Valley Protection Plan.

Assembly Bill 162 by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, requirescities and counties to address flood-related matters in theland-use, conservation, safety and housing elements of theirgeneral plans.

Another bill, AB 70 by Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento,mandates that a city or county may be required to contribute tocover the increased flood liability caused by its unreasonableapproval of developments following the failure of a state floodcontrol project.

Other bills signed as part of the package are AB 156, reformingthe state Water Code; SB 17, reforming and renaming the ReclamationBoard to improve proficiency and requiring development of a StatePlan of Flood Control for the Central Valley; and AB 5, which makesclarifying and technical changes to the other bills in thepackage.

"Last year, Californians made the commitment to invest nearly $5billion to secure our levees when we passed Propositions 1E and 84.Today's bills are the next step in ensuring a safe future for ourstate," continued the governor.

In May of last year, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed legislationcreating a $4 billion levee repair and flood control bond as partof the Strategic Growth Plan approved by voters in areferendum.