FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alicia Isaacs, (916) 224-8488 February 21, 2014

Perea Introduces Bipartisan Water Bond Bill Proposal

SACRAMENTO Today, Assemblymember Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno) and joint authors Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) and Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) along with co-author Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) introduced a comprehensive water bond proposal. Because Assembly Bill (AB) 2686 is the water bond proposal that provides enough funding to complete the water infrastructure investments California needs, it is supported by a bipartisan coalition of legislators and various stakeholders with diverse interests. Amongst the various water bond proposals, AB 2686 is the only proposal that offers a framework with the funding and priorities to properly plan for Californias water future, said Assemblymember Perea. With surface storage, clean and safe drinking water, and Delta sustainability at the forefront of my proposal, Californians will keep their jobs and be able to put food on the table. This bond goes beyond satisfying the immediate needs the drought has created it provides for generations to come. AB 2686 sets the bond at $9.25 billion. The proposal is broken down as follows: $3 billion: Water Storage Infrastructure $1 billion: Clean and Safe Drinking water $2.25 billion: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Sustainability $1.5 billion: Protecting Rivers, Lakes, Streams, Coastal Waters, & Watersheds $1.5 billion: Climate Change Preparedness for Regional Water Security

An important aspect of AB 2686 is that it includes continuous appropriation for the surface storage component, meaning that funds will be locked in to these projects and cannot be re-appropriated elsewhere by the Legislature. Our decades-old water infrastructure is failing to meet the demands of agriculture, increased populations and environmental regulations. We have been living on the credit card of infrastructure built and paid for by past generations. It is time for us to step up and make this critical investment in California's future," said Assemblymember Adam Gray. As the drought continued to worsen, multiple water bonds have been proposed, but this bond has the right balance needed to serve the entire state families and farmers alike, said Assemblymember Rudy Salas. Representing the hardest hit areas of this water crisis, we outline a water infrastructure plan to protect the $43

billion agricultural industry that keeps our economy strong and address the dire needs of our communities who struggle to attain clean drinking water. The Laborers are proud to support AB 2686 and its aim of helping meet California's long-term water policy goals. The economic success of our state hinges on a stable water supply, said Jose Mejia, Executive Director of California State Council of Laborers. AB 2686 provides the much-needed funding to construct new water storage projects and protect the Delta, both vital to the economic well-being of our state. The California Latino Water Coalition is extremely pleased with the introduction in the Assembly of a re crafted water bond that will truly create water reliability for 26 million Californians. This legislation introduced by Assemblymember Perea takes us back to the 2009 water bonds priorities that were the product of years of discussion, said Mario Santoyo, Executive Director of the California Latino Water Coalition. Those vital proposals include essential water infrastructure of which much-needed new and expanded surface water storage is such an important part. This bill will provide the investment necessary to broadly address Californias long term water infrastructure needs. Too many efforts presented to date are biased in their approach. The Perea Water Bond bill addresses Delta Sustainability, storage, environmental needs and access to clean water. And all this represents a $2 billion savings from the original bond passed over four years ago, said Joel Nelsen, California Citrus Mutual President. Assemblyman Perea's water bond proposal will help keep the cotton industry in California because it creates real long term solutions, said California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association President, Roger Isom. In order to have a viable cotton industry we need a reliable water source - that's what this bill will provide. Because it has significant funding for Delta Sustainability and storage, this water bond bill is a step in the right direction," said Tim Quinn, Executive Director, Association of California Water Agencies. "We look forward to working with Assemblymember Perea on the measure. ### www.asmdc.org/perea https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymemberPerea Follow @AsmPerea on Twitter