Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation intended to speed up work on the Pajaro River flood protection project by giving the agency overseeing the work more options for awarding construction contracts.
Senate Bill 1055, authored by state Sen. John Laird, expands the contracting methods available to the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency from three to seven. Newsom signed the bill Tuesday.
The legislation will allow PRFMA to use methods including Job Order Contracting, Design-Build, Best Value and Construction Manager/General Contractor contracting.
Supporters say the additional options could reduce costs and shorten construction timelines as work continues to upgrade the Pajaro River levee system.
“Pajaro Valley communities know firsthand the devastating consequences of flooding, and we have a responsibility to keep moving these critical protection projects forward,” Laird said. “SB 1055 gives the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency more flexibility to get this work done efficiently and responsibly.”
The legislation comes as PRFMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continue a major project to rebuild and improve the levee system protecting Watsonville, Pajaro and surrounding agricultural areas.
The federal government constructed the levee system in 1949, but it has failed multiple times over the decades.
Most recently, a roughly 400-foot section of the levee breached during a series of atmospheric river storms in March 2023, inundating the community of Pajaro. Approximately 3,500 residents were forced to evacuate, and the flooding caused an estimated $300 million in damage.
PRFMA Executive Director Mark Strudley said the legislation puts the agency on similar footing with other public agencies that have access to alternative contracting methods.
“SB 1055 paves the way for a more timely and cost-effective means of seeing the project to completion all for the benefit of the families, farms, and businesses of the Pajaro Valley,” Strudley said.
The bill is the latest in a series of state measures aimed at advancing the long-awaited Pajaro River project.
While serving in the state Assembly, Laird authored legislation in 2006 allowing California to share the costs of flood control projects along the Pajaro River.
In 2021, he authored SB 496, which allowed the California Department of Water Resources to cover the entire state share of costs for the project. A year later, SB 489 authorized the state to provide funding in advance for the work. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas coauthored both bills.
In 2024, legislation authored by Rivas and coauthored by Laird streamlined some environmental review requirements for the flood control improvements.
The flood project has gained urgency since the 2023 disaster, which inundated homes and businesses and displaced residents for weeks.
SB 1055 was sponsored by PRFMA, which oversees flood protection infrastructure along the Pajaro River.
The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
