The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes the legislative body of any county or city to adopt ordinances that, among other things, regulate the use of buildings, structures, and land as between industry, businesses, residences, and open space, as specified.

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to recommend, and the State Water Resources Control Board to adopt, as prescribed, performance measures for water used by commercial, industrial, institutional, and large landscape water users (CII water use). Existing law requires each urban retail water supplier, as defined, to implement the performance measures adopted by the board under these provisions.

This bill would require the department to recommend, and the board to adopt, no later than an unspecified date, a CII water use classification for users that qualify as large consumptive use facilities, including data centers. The bill would require that this classification be separate and distinct from classifications applicable to other CII water use.

The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.