Governor to Ask for $1Billion in Emergency Drought Aid

Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, are expected to introduce today emergency drought legislation described as a $1 billion relief plan.

The planned release of draft drought legislation was reported by the Los Angeles Times, which cited two sources for the report.

This will mark the second consecutive year in which the Legislature has acted on emergency drought relief, noted The Times. In 2014, Brown signed a $687.4 million drought package that offered aid to communities facing acute water shortages and food and housing assistance to those harmed by the drought.

Brown’s office told The Times Wednesday night that the governor, De León and Atkins will introduce emergency drought legislation today. But the office did not spell out details of the plan.

The Legislature also crafted a $7.5 billion water bond that was approved by voters last November; most of those funds would go to longer-term projects to bolster the state’s water infrastructure, The Times reported. The move comes amid growing concern about the drought, now entering its fourth year.

The State Water Board tightened its watering restrictions earlier this week, telling urban agencies to limit the number of days residents can water their yards. They also warned that they will impose tougher restrictions in coming months if local agencies don’t ramp up conservation efforts.

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