A cross-section of city and county officials, farming and business interests joined together Wednesday at Fresno City Hall to support a multibillion-dollar water bond that’s nearly twice as large as what Gov. Jerry Brown wants.
The governor this week pledged support for a $6 billion water bond for November’s ballot — but no more — because of concerns about long-term debt.
Also in play is a $9.9 billion water bond proposal authored by Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, D-Fresno, now being negotiated in the state Legislature. But time is running out: The Legislature must reach a compromise on a lower-priced bond package sometime this month, or else an $11.1 billion plan will go to voters.
The group at Fresno City Hall sent a letter of support to legislators with about 150 signatures from community leaders backing the largest bond.
Local officials say they also support Perea’s slightly smaller measure.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/06/4057892/valley-officials-support-bigger.html
A day after Gov. Brown proposed a $6 billion water bond for the November ballot, an environmental coalition offered their own plan with a similar price-tag and with $1.5 billion for recycling and conservation, and $800 million to treat waste water and develop drinking water projects.
The group includes Friends of the River, the Planning and Conservation League, the Sierra Club and the League of Women Voters of California. The coalition said its proposal stiffens legislative oversight over the bond spending and cuts out special interest projects that it said was contained in the $11.14 billion bond scheduled to go before voters in November.
http://capitolweekly.net/enviro-coalition-offers-6-billion-water-bond/