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California Water Supply Infrastructure Trust Account Initiative (2022)
| California Water Supply Infrastructure Trust Account Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic State and local government budgets, spending and finance and Water | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Amendment & Statute | Origin Citizens |
The California Water Supply Infrastructure Trust Account Initiative (#21-0014) was not on the ballot in California as a combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute on November 8, 2022.
The ballot measure would have created a Water Supply Infrastructure Trust Account, which would have received 2 percent of state revenue each year. Money in the account could have been used for projects that would help the state create at least 5 million more acre-feet of additional annual water supply capacity.[1]
Text of the measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Directs Two Percent of General Fund to Water Supply Projects; Limits Environmental Review for Eligible Projects. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.[3] |
” |
Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Transfers two percent of annual General Fund revenues to Water Supply Infrastructure Trust Account for water infrastructure projects until state increases its annual water supply by 5,000,000 acre-feet. Prioritizes funding projects that are approved or ready to start. Authorizes issuance of general obligation bonds for water projects to be repaid with revenues in Trust Account. Limits environmental review of eligible projects through expedited California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. Limits Coastal Commission review of specified projects; authorizes California Natural Resources Agency to override Coastal Commission decisions. Limits constitutional challenges to approved projects.[3] |
” |
Fiscal impact
The fiscal impact statement was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Total costs of several tens of billions of dollars for water projects, potentially totaling more than $100 billion, to develop 5 million acre-feet of additional annual water supply. Dedicate between $2.5 billion and $4 billion per year of existing state General Fund revenues for the next few decades to support the above costs. These funds would therefore not be available to support other public services funded by the state. Unknown fiscal impacts on local governments, but likely some net savings from state funds replacing monies that local governments otherwise would have spent on water supply projects.[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text is available here.
Support
More Water Now led the campaign in support of the ballot initiative.[4]
Supporters
Officials
- Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-8)[5]
- Sen. Brian Dahle (R-1)[5]
- Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-14)[5]
- Asm. Adam Gray (D-21)[5]
- Asm. Carlos Villapudua (D-13)[5]
- Asm. Chad Mayes (I-42)[5]
- Asm. Devon Mathis (R-26)[5]
- Asm. Frank Bigelow (R-5)[5]
- Asm. Heath Flora (R-12)[5]
- Asm. James Ramos (D-40)[5]
- Asm. Janet Nguyen (R-72)[5]
- Asm. Jim Patterson (R-23)[5]
- Asm. Jordan Cunningham (R-35)[5]
- Asm. Kelly Seyarto (R-67)[5]
- Asm. Ken Cooley (D-8)[5]
- Asm. Kevin Kiley (R-6)[5]
- Asm. Laura Davies (D-73)[5]
- Asm. Marie Waldron (R-75)[5]
- Asm. Phillip Chen (R-55)[5]
- Asm. Randy Voepel (R-71)[5]
- Asm. Rudy Salas (D-32)[5]
- Asm. Steven Choi (R-68)[5]
- Asm. Suzette Valladares (R-38)[5]
- Asm. Thurston E. Smith (R-33)[5]
- Asm. Timothy S. Grayson (D-14)[5]
- Asm. Tom Lackey (R-36)[5]
- Asm. Vince Fong (R-34)[5]
Organizations
- California Milk Producers Council[6]
- California Water Alliance[6]
- Central Valley Taxpayers Association[6]
- Los Angeles County Business Federation[6]
- National Latino Ranchers and Farmers Association[6]
Opposition
Opponents
Organizations
- Sierra Club California[7]
- California Indian Environmental Alliance[7]
- Society of Native Nations[7]
- Idle No More[7]
- Restore the Delta[7]
- Golden State Salmon Association[7]
- California Coastal Protection Network[7]
- Surfrider Foundation[7]
- Los Angeles Waterkeeper[7]
- Heal the Bay[7]
Path to the ballot
Process in California
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8 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 constitutional amendments certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 997,139 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification was 131 days before the general election, which was around June 30, 2022. However, the process of verifying signatures can take multiple months and proponents are recommended to file signatures at least two months before the verification deadline.
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.
Initiative #21-0014
Edward Arthur Ring, Shawn Dewane, Wayne Western Jr., Stephen Rex Sheldon, and Geoffrey Todd Vanden Heuvel filed the ballot initiative on August 26, 2021.[8] The Attorney General of California issued ballot language for the initiative on November 1, 2021, allowing a signature drive to begin. Signatures were due on May 2, 2022.
On February 1, 2022, the campaign More Water Now announced that the signature drive was ending. The campaign issued a statement, which read, "Despite crafting an initiative that would solve California’s challenge of chronic and worsening water scarcity, and despite recent polling that indicates over 70% of California’s voters support increased state spending on water infrastructure, the campaign has been unable to attract the financial support necessary to gather the required 1 million signatures." Edward Ring said the campaign had gathered less than 100,000 signatures.[9]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Attorney General, "Initiative 21-0014," August 26, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 California Secretary of State, "Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation," accessed October 20, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ More Water Now, "Homepage," accessed December 31, 2021
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 More Water Now, "Legislator Endorsements," accessed December 31, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 More Water Now, "Organization Endorsements," accessed December 31, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Oakland Leader, "Opposition Surfaces To Ballot Measure: “More Water Now," December 29, 2021
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Initiatives," accessed August 30, 2021
- ↑ The Mercury News, "California ballot measure to build more reservoirs, water projects dies due to lack of signatures," February 1, 2022
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