Report: Taxes, fees needed to close Calif. water funding gap
By Jeremy B. White, Sacramento Bee
California will need to find billions of dollars annually to improve its water system, according to a Public Policy Institute of California report.
Lawmakers are currently debating several water bond proposals for the 2014 ballot, but the report cautions that the state cannot rely on uncertain bond money to improve water management. It advocates a “broader mix of funding sources” that includes new taxes and fees.
“Although this is a fixable problem,” the report says, “it will not happen without a bold, concerted effort on the part of California’s state and local leaders, who must convince California’s residents to support the necessary changes with their votes and their pocketbooks.”