“Early this morning, the California Assembly and Senate finally broke the longstanding legislative gridlock and agreed to a comprehensive package of 5 bills, including a water bond, to address the State’s chronic water crisis.

This is an important milestone, and I’d like to congratulate Senate President Pro Tem Steinberg and Speaker Bass for their persistence and leadership. I’d also like to thank Senators Cogdill and Pavley, and Assemblymembers Caballero and Huffman, for their tireless efforts. 

It should be clear to all of us that the current water infrastructure is inadequate to support California’s growing population and businesses that depend on clean water. This includes people in our cities, the high-tech sector, fisheries, tourism, and of course, our State’s multibillion-dollar agricultural sector. So, this package is really critical to all Californians. 

I urge all Californians to support the bond issue. It must be said once more that California has a water infrastructure built for a population of 16 million people. Today, our population is rapidly approaching the 40 million mark. So, the modernization and improvement of our State’s water infrastructure is long overdue.”

###