California voters are expected to decide key spending decisions this fall
With roughly 100 days until Californians begin early voting for the November election, state lawmakers are putting final touches on the bonds that will make the ballot.
Over the weekend, Democrats who control the Legislature in Sacramento reached agreements to place a $10 billion climate bond and a $10 billion school bond before voters in the Nov. 5 statewide election.
The climate bond, which has been a top priority of environmental groups for more than a year, would provide funds to reduce wildfire risk through forest thinning and prescribed burn projects, expand water supplies to deal with droughts, buy land for parks and wildlife habitat, and complete projects along the coast, San Francisco Bay and other areas to address sea level rise.
“Long term, we will have to spend more money fighting wildfires and dealing with floods and other disasters, if we don’t make these investments,” said State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, a co-author of the climate measure.