California Bonds for Climate Impact Mitigation Initiative (2020)
| California Bonds for Climate Impact Mitigation Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Environment and Bond issues | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The California Bonds for Climate Impact Mitigation Initiative (#19-0005) was not on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2020.
Proponents referred to the measure as the "Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking Water, Drought Preparation, and Flood Protection Bond Act of 2020."[1]
Measure design
The ballot measure would have authorized $7,883,000,000 in bonds for projects related to climate resilience.[1]
According to the text of the proposed initiative, proceeds of bonds issued and sold would have been allocated to the following purposes:[1]
- $3,508,000,000 for "wildfire prevention and community resilience from climate impacts";
- $2,200,000,000 for "safe drinking water, protecting water supply and water quality from climate risks";
- $975,000,000 for "protecting fish and wildlife from climate risks";
- $200,000,000 for "protecting agricultural land from climate risks";
- $770,000,000 for "protecting coastal lands, bays, and oceans from climate risks"; and
- $230,000,000 for "climate resilience, workforce development, and education."
Text of measure
Ballot title
The official ballot title was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Authorizes Bonds To Fund Projects For Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking Water, And Protecting Wildlife And Lands From Climate Risks. Initiative Statute.[3] |
” |
Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Authorizes $7.883 billion in state general obligation bonds for various projects to mitigate climate risks and impacts in the following categories: $3.508 billion for wildfire prevention and community resilience; $2.2 billion for safe drinking water; $975 million for fish and wildlife; $770 million for coastal lands, bays, and oceans; $200 million for agricultural lands; and $230 million for workforce development and education regarding these issues. Appropriates money from General Fund to pay off bonds. Generally prioritizes projects benefitting disadvantaged communities.[3] |
” |
Fiscal impact
The fiscal impact statement was as follows:[2]
| “ |
State costs of $15.4 billion to pay off principal ($7.9 billion) and interest ($7.5 billion) on bonds over a 40-year period. Annual payments would average $385 million. Some amount of state and local government savings possible based on to the degree to which bond-funded activities reduce future fire or flood damages (and associated state and local costs) that would otherwise have occurred. Potential savings to local governments, primarily for fire protection and water supply projects, averaging in the low tens of millions of dollars annually over the next few decades.[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the initiative is available here.
Path to the ballot
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5 percent of the votes cast in the preceding gubernatorial election. Petitions are allowed to circulate for 180 days from the date the attorney general prepares the petition language. Signatures need to be certified at least 131 days before the general election. As the verification process can take multiple months, the secretary of state provides suggested deadlines for ballot initiatives.
The requirements to get initiated state statutes certified for the 2020 ballot:
- Signatures: 623,212 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification was June 25, 2020. However, the process of verifying signatures can take multiple months. The recommended deadlines were March 3, 2020, for an initiative requiring a full check of signatures and April 21, 2020, for an initiative requiring a random sample of signatures.
Signatures are first filed with local election officials, who determine the total number of signatures submitted. If the total number is equal to at least 100 percent of the required signatures, then local election officials perform a random check of signatures submitted in their counties. If the random sample estimates that more than 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, the initiative is eligible for the ballot. If the random sample estimates that between 95 and 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, a full check of signatures is done to determine the total number of valid signatures. If less than 95 percent are estimated to be valid, the initiative does not make the ballot.
Stages of this initiative
Joseph Caves filed the ballot initiative on July 3, 2019.[1] On September 6, 2019, Scretary of State Alex Padilla (D) published petition language for the ballot initiative, allowing proponents to begin collecting signatures. The deadline to file signatures was March 4, 2020. Signatures were not filed.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 California Attorney General, "Initiative 19-0005," accessed July 15, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 California Secretary of State, "Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation," accessed June 25, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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