On Monday, legislation that would place an alternative water bond on the November ballot failed passage on the Senate Floor (22-9), with Republicans voting no or abstaining. Several Republican members indicated that there are a number of good pieces to the proposed water bond, but that work remains to be done.
While Senate Bill 848, authored by Senator Wolk and co-authored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and President Pro Tem-elect Kevin de León, among others, did not receive the needed two-thirds vote, Senator Steinberg expressed the opinion that the vote paves the way for additional negotiations in order to reach a compromise that can garner some Republican support. The deadline to put an alternative bond on the November ballot is June 26, 2014, but the Legislature has pushed that deadline into August in the past.
SB 848, as amended June 23, 2014, includes $10.5 billion in funding for a range of projects, including $1.3 billion for Delta restoration – $900 million that would be dispersed through the Delta Conservancy, and $400 million that would go to the Department of Water Resources to be used to bolster levees. In addition to the $3 billion towards the public benefits of water storage, SB 848 also contains $1 billion for cleanup of groundwater, and $500 million for recycling.
During the floor debate, Senator Steinberg repeatedly stated that it is important to pass a bond that meets California’s pressing water needs while avoiding a north-south water fight, which may ensue if a proposed water bond on the ballot provided funding associated with the implementation of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). Senator Steinberg stated that SB 848 is “twin-tunnels neutral,” and as such would not be subjected to an opposition campaign. An active opposition campaign against a water bond could well lead to failure at the polls.
On Tuesday, the Governor engaged members of the Legislature for the first time on the water bond. It is reported that the Governor is willing to consider a $6 billion water bond that includes $2 billion for the public benefits of water storage.
In the Assembly, AB 2686 (Perea) is likely to be the Assembly water bond vehicle. AB 2686 is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Any water bond to replace the $11.1 billion water bond on the November ballot will need two-thirds vote in each house. If no alternative water bond is placed on the ballot prior to the end of the final recess, the electorate will vote on the $11.1 billion bond currently on the November 2014 ballot. In meetings with legislators this week, Governor Brown reportedly stated that he would campaign against the $11.1 bond.
For additional information, please contact RCRC Legislative Advocate Kathy Mannion at (916) 447-4806 or kmannion@rcrcnet.org.