Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners Collaborative

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is establishing a standing drought and water shortage interagency task force in coordination with the State Water Board and other relevant state agencies to facilitate proactive state planning and coordination for pre-drought planning, emergency response, and post-drought management, consistent with Senate Bill 552 (Chaptered in 2021). The Task Force, called the Drought Resilience Interagency and Partners Collaborative (DRIP Collaborative), will serve as a public forum with state and non-state agency members to advance our drought strategies and continue building resilience to the increasingly arid conditions California faces.
The task force includes two appointees from each of the following groups: local governments, community-based organizations, Tribal representation, nonprofit technical assistance providers, the public, agriculture, environment, public water systems, and experts in land use planning, water resilience, and water infrastructure. The task force also includes one appointee from each of the following state agencies: California Natural Resources Agency, Department of Water Resources, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Environmental Protection Agency, State Water Resources Control Board, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Office of Emergency Services, and Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. The DRIP Collaborative is 26 members in total.
State Agency Members
California Natural Resources Agency – Nancy Vogel
Department of Water Resources – Karla Nemeth
Department of Fish and Wildlife – Josh Grover
California Environmental Protection Agency – Anna Naimark
State Water Resources Control Board – Joaquin Esquivel
California Office of Emergency Services – Tina Curry
Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Saharnaz Mirzazad
California Department of Food and Agriculture – Virginia Jameson
Non-State Agency Members
Name |
Organization/ Employer |
General Region |
Representative |
Catherine Freeman |
California State Association of Counties |
Statewide |
Local Government |
Sierra Ryan |
Santa Cruz County |
Central Coast |
Local Government |
Justine Massey |
Community Water Center |
San Joaquin Valley & Central Coast |
Community-based organization |
David Michalko |
California Association of Mutual Water Companies |
Southern California |
Community-based organization |
Tami McVay |
Self Help Enterprises |
San Joaquin Valley |
Technical Assistance Provider |
Grace Person |
CivicWell |
Statewide |
Technical Assistance Provider |
Suzanne Pecci |
Domestic Well Planning Group South American Subbasin |
Statewide |
The Public |
Brent Hastey |
Plumas Lake Self Storage, Owner |
Northern California |
The Public |
Anna Schiller |
Environmental Defense Fund |
Statewide, San Joaquin Valley |
Environment |
Redgie Collins |
California Trout, Inc. |
Statewide |
Environment |
Emily Rooney |
Agricultural Council of California |
Statewide |
Agriculture |
Jason Colombini |
Jay Colombini Ranch, Inc. |
San Joaquin Valley, Sierras |
Agriculture |
Michael Gerace |
Yurok Tribe |
Northern California |
Tribal |
Emily Moloney |
Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians |
North Central California |
Tribal |
Alvar Escriva-Bou |
University of California Los Angeles |
Statewide |
Experts in Land Use/Water |
Laura Ramos |
California Water Institute at Fresno State |
San Joaquin Valley |
Experts in Land Use/Water |
Russ Bryden |
Los Angeles County Public Works |
Southern California |
Public Water Systems |
Katie Ruby |
California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA) |
SF Bay Area, Southern CA |
Public Water Systems |
The DRIP Collaborative will meet three times a year in Spring, Summer, and Fall in publicly accessible open meetings. Meeting location and times are subject to change.
Meeting #1: April 6, 2023 at 1:00-5:00PM
In person meeting located at the Headquarters for the California Natural Resources Agency at 715 P Street, Sacramento. Meet and greet in person begins at 12:30-1:00PM. Zoom option is also available starting at 1:00PM. View the public notice announcing the first DRIP Collaborative meeting.
The DRIP Collaborative meeting location(s) are accessible to people with disabilities. Any person who requires special assistance to participate in the meeting, or wishes to request this notice or other meeting materials in an alternative format, requires translation services, or needs any disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, which would enable that person to participate at the meeting must make that request at least 7 days prior to the meeting date by contacting DWR staff at drip@water.ca.gov or calling (916) 612-4371.
Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act
As a State body, the task force is governed by the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, which requires the Collaborative to:
- Publish an agenda at least ten days in advance of any meeting,
- Describe specifically in that agenda the items to be transacted or discussed,
- And refuse to add an item subsequent to the published agenda. In addition to these general requirements the Bagley-Keene Act includes other specific provisions about how meetings are to be announced and conducted.
For More Information
For questions, please send an email to drip@water.ca.gov or call Julie Ekstrom at 916-612-4371.
To receive email notifications about DRIP Collaborative-related events and other news, sign up here and select “DWR DRIP Collaborative”.