Brown pitches $6 billion water bond
By Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times
Seeking to balance the state’s water needs with his reputation for fiscal caution, Gov. Jerry Brown called for a “no-frills, no pork” $6-billion water bond in an email to campaign supporters Tuesday afternoon.
Brown kicked off the letter by noting that “drought conditions in California grow more serious by the day,” and acknowledging more must be done for the state’s water infrastructure.
But, he says, the $11.1-billion bond currently set to go before voters in November has “a price tag beyond what’s reasonable or affordable.” He describes the measure, originally written in 2009, as “pork-laden.”
Instead, Brown pitches a $6-billion plan similar to the framework his office circulated in June. The proposal, he says, “invests in the most critical projects without breaking the bank.”