SACRAMENTO – Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee Vice Chair
Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, today issued the following statement in
response to Governor Brown signing drought legislation approved this
week by the Legislature:
“I appreciate that the Legislature, and now the Governor through his
signature today, have taken swift action to bring some relief to
Californians who have been hit hardest by the drought. In my district,
farmers are struggling to make ends meet, many ag workers have lost
their jobs, and small business owners – especially the hotels,
restaurants and shops that rely on tourism – have lost income as a
result of the drought.
“But this is just the first step. The emergency measures signed today
by the Governor do not fix our long-term water woes, nor do they
provide any real water. Now our attention must turn to enacting a
comprehensive water solution that includes both above and below-ground
water storage. Several water bond proposals are now before the
Legislature and I am hopeful that serious discussions will soon begin in
earnest to build more water storage in California.”
Bigelow and Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway recently introduced a $7.935 billion comprehensive water bond proposal (Assembly Bill 2043),
which would provide competitive funding for critical water storage,
groundwater, Delta restoration, water quality, and drought relief
projects statewide.
