Water infrastructure: dams and reservoirs: water release: false pretenses.

Assembly Member Papan's legislation targets water releases from federally owned reservoirs in California by establishing new prohibitions against releases conducted under false pretenses. The measure defines false pretenses as knowingly and intentionally misrepresenting the purpose and intended use of released water.

The bill authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board and Attorney General to pursue injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and permanent injunctions, when water releases violate these provisions. These enforcement mechanisms apply whether such releases are threatened, ongoing, or have already occurred.

While the measure creates new oversight responsibilities that constitute a state-mandated local program by expanding the scope of existing criminal statutes, it specifies that no state reimbursement will be required for local agencies or school districts. This determination stems from the bill's focus on modifying criminal definitions rather than imposing new administrative costs.