Friant Water Authority CEO Jason Phillips was disappointed with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of Senate Bill 559 on Monday, calling it a missed opportunity for the administration.

Several proposals aiming to repair critical infrastructure like the Friant-Kern Canal were left behind this year.

DWR Director Karla Nemeth made a case that the implementation of SGMA beginning this year will provide “agriculture with more certainty, even around surface water supplies.”