Each urban water supplier shall encourage the active involvement of diverse social, cultural, and economic elements of the population within the service area prior to and during the preparation of both the plan and the water shortage contingency plan. Prior to adopting either, the urban water supplier shall make both the plan and the water shortage contingency plan available for public inspection and shall hold a public hearing or hearings thereon. Prior to any of these hearings, notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be published within the jurisdiction of the publicly owned water supplier pursuant to § 6066 of the Government Code. The urban water supplier shall provide notice of the time and place of a hearing to any city or county within which the supplier provides water supplies. Notices by a local public agency pursuant to this section shall be provided pursuant to Chapter 17.5 (commencing with Section 7290) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code. A privately owned water supplier shall provide an equivalent notice within its service area. After the hearing or hearings, the plan or water shortage contingency plan shall be adopted as prepared or as modified after the hearing or hearings.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 14, Sec. 39. (SB 606) Effective January 1, 2019.)