SACRAMENTO – Last week, the California Assembly passed Senate Bill 583, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) and co-authored by Coachella Valley Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), with bipartisan support. The bill creates the Salton Sea Conservancy to unify the state’s efforts to protect residents’ health, foster ecological recovery in the area, and to empower local stakeholders in that process.