Amid Drought, Gov. Brown Sends $7.5 Billion Bipartisan Water Plan To November Ballot
SACRAMENTO (CBS / AP) -- Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a $7.5 billion bipartisan water plan, acting swiftly after it was passed by both houses of the Legislature to place it on California's November ballot.
As he signed the measure Wednesday night, Brown said he probably had never seen Democrats and Republicans so united in his lifetime. AB1471 passed 37-0 in the Senate and 77-2 in the Assembly.
He hailed the legislation as a win for the future and said it was about "Californians coming together."
The governor and lawmakers were driven to action by the state's historic drought, which has forced farmers to fallow their fields and cities to implement fines and rationing.
The measure replaces an existing water bond that was approved by a previous Legislature but was widely considered too costly to gain voter approval.
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