The seven-member board currently has only three serving members, short of a quorum. This means that while the board will meet to discuss the matter as a “hearing panel” they will not have the ability to vote or pass regulations with the full force of the board.
Instead, they will record the hearing and make a recommendation to the full board once its membership is restored.
From the Sacramento Bee:
State water quality officials will go forward next week with a meeting to debate a controversial new pollution discharge permit for Sacramento’s regional sewage treatment system, even though the state board still lacks a quorum to vote on the matter.
The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has the legal option to meet as a “hearing panel.” In such cases, it may take testimony, deliberate and even make a recommendation on the issue, though it cannot vote, said Ken Landau, the board’s assistant executive officer. That’s what it will do on Dec. 9, in an all-day meeting beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Rancho Cordova.
Landau said a transcript of the meeting and any recommendation will be compiled and presented to board members at a future meeting where a formal vote can be cast.