California lawmakers unveil $10 billion bond proposals for climate and schools

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Sunday announced they plan to put two bond measures on the ballot in November, one that would ask voter approval to borrow $10 billion for climate programs and another that would borrow $10 billion to build or repair public schools. If passed by the Legislature later this week, the bonds would appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Lawmakers announced the bond proposals on Sunday, one day after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California’s budget. The spending plan closes an estimated $46.8 billion deficit in part through $16 billion in spending cuts.

“These bond measures are critical to the future of this state, and invest in our kids, their neighborhood schools, and they ensure communities big and small have access to clean drinking water and are wildfire safe,” Democratic state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said in a statement.

The climate initiative would help communities recover from wildfires, floods, drought and other natural catastrophes.

The clean water and wildfire bond would cover $10 billion in strategic investments for safe drinking water, as well as funding for “wildfire and forest resilience, sea-level rise, extreme heat mitigation, clean air, and protecting biodiversity,” according to a statement from McGuire’s office.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> California is set to track gun shop credit card sales as 17 other states pass laws that prohibit it </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline