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2002 WATER BOND MEASURES PENDING
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<br />Three bills intended to provide bond funding for environmental organizations, This proposal would
<br />water quality and supply projects are cuffently sitting authorize $3.44 billion of general obligation bonds to
<br />idle in the Senate Agriculture and Water Resources fund a variety of water projects. Specifically, these funds
<br />Committee. would be allocated as follows: $50 million for water
<br /> security systems; $435 million for safe drinking water
<br />SB 1710 (Costa) would authorize the issuance of an system upgrades; $370 million for environmental
<br />unspecified amount of bond funds for domestic water restoration projects with clean water benefits; $100
<br />supply infrastructure projects to meet safe drinking million for contaminant and salt removal technologies;
<br />water standards. The bill would also provide money for $825 million for the CaIFed Bay-Delta Program; $640
<br />contaminate removal and salinity management projects, million for water supply, groundwater recharge, and
<br />SB 2070 (Johanneseen) would authorize the issuance flood management; $70 million canal lining and ecosys-
<br />of $2,925 billion in bond funds for a variety of grant rem restoration requirements along the Colorado River;
<br />programs, including drinking water system protection, $950 million for coastal watershed and Southern
<br />clean water, contaminant removal, watershed menage- California wetland protection projects.
<br />ment, water supply and acquisition of farmland, AB 954
<br />(Kelley) would provide an unspecified amount of bond The petitioners have submitted more than 700.000
<br />funding for construction projects to clean up known signatures to the Secretapj of State, who must ultimately
<br />groundwater contamination sites that are part of a validate at least 419,260 for inclusion on the November
<br />conjunctive use plan; for groundwater storage projects ballot, You may view the full text of this proposed
<br />that benefit the Colorado River Water Use Plan; or for a initiative at: www. pel.org.
<br />project that is identified by SWRCB as a priority project
<br />of regional significance. Current reports from the Capitol indicate that the
<br /> Administration and legislative leaders want only the
<br />Proponents of a fourth water bond proposal, titled education and housing bonds on the November ballot.
<br />the Water Quality, Supply and Safe Drinking Water Act, Also, the likely qualification of the water bond initiative
<br />have submitted signatures and may qualify for the may have negatively impacted the willingness of legisla-
<br />November ballot. The principal "filer" of this initiative is tors to move a competing bond measure along. The
<br />Joe Caves, President, Caves and Associates, who has League has no position on the water bond measures at
<br />submitted the initiative on behalf of a coalition of this time.
<br />
<br />BOARD NOMINATIONS from page 6 · · · HOUSING from page 8 ·..,-..,,,.,,
<br />If you are interested in submitting your name more pragmatic approach, believing that, given the
<br />(or another elected official's name) for nomination huge state deficit, something is better than nothing.
<br />to the League Board of Directors, please provide the As for the new proposed program, cities need to
<br />information requested on the Nomination Form, decide for themselves if the state will hold up its end
<br />along with a bio and letter requesting consideration, of the bargain on this program in the future.
<br />to the League's Sacramento headquarters on or
<br />before end of business on Monday, July 15, 2002. Cities should contact HCD to determine if they
<br />Nomination materials may be found on the League's qualify for awards under the 2001 program, and
<br />website at www. cacities,org or can be obtained by inform their legislators and the League immediately
<br />contacting League Staff Karen Bekeart at (916) 658- of their perspective on the proposed allocation of
<br />8226 or bekeartk@cacities,org, these funds. This bill is expected to be heard in the
<br />I Chair Marland Townsend, Council Member, Foster City; Jeff
<br /> Assembly
<br /> Housing
<br /> and
<br /> Community
<br /> Development
<br />
<br /> Farley, Mayor, Ferndale; Sandra Hilliard, Mayor, Yuba City; Art Committee over the next few weeks.
<br />
<br /> Madrid, Mayor, La Mesa; Pat McGuigan, Council Member, Santa
<br /> Ana; Larry Ritchie, Council Member, Westmorland; Mike Segala,
<br /> Council Member, ,Suisun City; Ruth Vreeland, Council Member,
<br /> Monterey; Billy Walleh, Council Member, Turlock
<br />
<br />Visit the League's Official Web Site--www. cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 9
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