Chapter 2. The Board of California Water Code >> Division 6. >> Part 5. >> Chapter 2.

There is in the state government, in the Resources Agency, the Colorado River Board of California.

The board consists of eight members appointed by the Governor as provided in this chapter, two of whom shall be public members appointed by the Governor, and the Director of Water Resources and the Director of Fish and Game or their designees.

The governing bodies of the San Diego County Water Authority, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Imperial Irrigation District, Coachella Valley Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and the Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles shall each submit to the Governor two lists of not less than three persons on each with a recommendation as to whom should be appointed from one list as its member on the board and from the other list as its alternate on the board. The Governor shall appoint each agency's member and alternate from the designated lists. If, after 60 days following submission of the initial or any new list, the Governor has not made an appointment, the person recommended by the governing body shall be deemed appointed. Each governing body if it desires to have a new member or alternate, or both, may submit new lists at any time. A member of the governing body of an agency may be appointed as a member of the board or as an alternate. Each alternate shall, in the absence of the appointed member for any cause, including vacancy in the office of the appointed member, have all the authority and rights of the member to which he or she is an alternate.

Each member of the board, except as otherwise provided in this section, shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for traveling and other expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of his duties. In addition, each member of the board that is neither eligible for nor receives any salary or other compensation for time spent attending meetings of the board shall receive fifty dollars ($50) for each day attending the meetings of the board.

(a) The board shall determine, by majority vote, where to maintain its office and shall hold meetings at that office or elsewhere upon call of the chairman or three members of the board. The board shall not relocate its office more than once within each gubernatorial term.
  (b) The local agencies that are represented on the board may reimburse employees of the board for relocation or net commuting expenses, or both, incurred by those employees as the result of a change in the location of the office pursuant to subdivision (a). The costs shall be divided equally among the local agencies. Any commuting expenses shall not exceed the state's reimbursement rate for state employees. Any relocation benefits shall be approved by each local agency prior to those benefits being offered to board staff.
  (c) Any payments made pursuant to subdivision (b) do not constitute income for the purposes of subdivision (a) of Section 82030 of the Government Code, in accordance with paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of that section.

All of the records of the board or copies of them shall be maintained at its office.

The board shall be subject to the provisions of Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

The board shall adopt such rules or procedure as may be required for the orderly disposition of its business and such regulations as may be necessary in order to carry out the provisions of this part.

The board shall make such reports and recommendations to the Governor as he requires or as the board deems proper.

Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, the board may hold executive sessions in conjunction with any regular or special meeting and maintain confidential information and records limited to matters concerning interstate claims to the use of Colorado River system waters in judicial proceedings, administrative proceedings, and negotiations with representatives from other states or the federal government. Whenever the board holds an executive session in conjunction with any regular or special meeting or maintains as confidential any information or records hereunder, the board shall make an affirmative finding in its public minutes that the holding of an open meeting or the disclosure of the information or records to the public would substantially impair the performance by the board of its statutory duties. At the end of the minutes of each meeting of the board shall appear the certificate of its executive secretary that the meeting was held in accordance with the provisions of Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code and Sections 12516 and 12519 of the Water Code.