California voters appeared likely to approve a $10 billion bond Tuesday night to strengthen the state’s fight against climate change, with Proposition 4 initially gaining a strong majority of votes.
The results underscore the state’s strong interest in government efforts to address the impacts of global warming. Californians have become all too familiar with extreme drought, wildfires, heat waves and flooding in recent years.
Prop 4 authorizes loans to finance a range of programs, from water conservation and recycling projects to increasing forest thinning, planting more trees in cities and restoring coastal wetlands to protect against rising sea levels.
At least 40% of bond money must be spent in underserved communities, which often have the fewest acres of parks, the most air pollution and the greatest number of people at risk from extreme heat and other weather events.
More than a hundred environmental groups supported the measure. Many urged Sacramento leaders to put Prop 4 on the ballot, replacing roughly $10 billion in climate change funding that was cut from this year’s state budget.
“This strong showing of early returns is truly exciting,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters. “Our state has very strong climate goals, but we cannot meet them unless we quickly transform our economy and infrastructure. The biggest obstacle is financing.”
Democratic state lawmakers also backed the measure as a way to bolster the state’s climate resources under a possible Trump administration, which has pledged to withdraw the nation from international climate agreements and boost fossil fuel production.
Opposing taxpayers and leading legislative Republicans said the bond is fiscally irresponsible and borrows money for policies they say should come from the state’s general fund. If we were to enter a recession, they reasoned, bond obligations could put pressure on the budget.
“People need to understand that with any bond, the cost of repayment is much higher,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the state’s leading taxpayer rights organization. “There may be buyer’s remorse.”
Although several statewide ballot measures faced competition, Prop 4 was largely expected to pass.
A September survey of 1,071 likely voters by the Public Policy Institute of California found Prop 4 ahead 65% to 33%. Support was strongest in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and weakest in the Central Valley.
According to one legislative analysis, paying back the money over 40 years could cost $400 million a year, meaning taxpayers could spend a total of $16 billion on the measure.
The $10 billion bond is not specifically earmarked by mail. This is how it would be spent:
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$3.8 billion for water projects, including groundwater storage, recycled water, desalination and reservoirs
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$1.5 billion for wildfire resilience, including through forest thinning and controlled burns
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$1.2 billion for sea level rise projects, primarily restoring beaches, wetlands and coastal cliffs
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$1.2 billion for wildlife, from restoring fish populations to building highway crossings for wildlife
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$850 million for renewable energy and clean air programs, including offshore wind and solar
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$700 million for parks and outdoor access
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$450 million for extreme heat mitigation, such as green spaces in cities and schools
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$300 million for agricultural projects such as water conservation and soil health programs
