Sacramento, CA – The California State Legislature today agreed to a compromise state water bond measure to appear on the November ballot. The $7.5 billion package will replace the $11.1 billion bond proposal that was previously agreed to. Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo), who serves as Vice-Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and is a co-author of the new state water bond bill, SB 866, released the following statement commenting on the legislation:

“Providing reliable access to water during an extended drought is one of the most important issues Sacramento legislators will face this decade. The severity of our current water crisis has given us greater incentive to repair our state’s aging water infrastructure, but it has not been a speedy or easy process to reach today’s ultimate compromise.

It’s often said that the mark of a good compromise agreement is the fact that nobody is entirely happy with the end result. Nevertheless, this bipartisan agreement that I am proud to have co-authored will offer California’s voters a smaller and more focused water bond that better fits the state’s priorities.

The previous water bond measure was seen as too expensive and was criticized for the unrelated special interest earmarks. While some of these earmarks may be desirable to many people, such as $20 million to reduce animal habitat fragmentation in the Santa Monica mountains, their inclusion in the water bond would likely jeopardize its passage in November.

While I personally believe that the new water bond does not invest enough in water storage options, I’m happy that this bill includes money for groundwater storage and recycling projects that are important to Ventura County. The passage of this bill allows us to begin dealing with problems that should have been addressed a decade ago.”