California water bond delayed until 2012
By Queenie Wong, Sacramento Bee
State lawmakers on Monday sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a measure to delay an $11.1 billion water bond from the Nov. 2 ballot until the November 2012 vote.
Schwarzenegger and supporters of the water bond asked weeks ago for the measure to be delayed because they’re concerned voters will reject it in the face of a $19 billion budget deficit and a struggling economy.
Supporters say the delay will help lawmakers eliminate any imperfections in the bond, called Proposition 18, which would fund programs for drought relief, groundwater protection, water recycling and water conservation.
“What greater opportunity would you have to improve it than to delay it for two years?” said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, addressing critics of the bond who wanted to kill it altogether.
