A California Chamber of Commerce-supported proposal to issue state general obligation bonds to fund water supply and infrastructure projects was behind in the vote count as Alert went to print, but other bond measures were passing with strong margins.
With 100% of precincts reporting on November 8, the vote tally was:
• Proposition 1: Funds Affordable Housing for Veterans, Families and Seniors: 54.1% yes to 45.9% no.
• Proposition 2: Funds Stable Housing for Individuals with Mental Illness: 61.2% yes to 38.8% no.
• Proposition 3: Funds Clean, Reliable Water Supply Plus Improvements to Stabilize Groundwater Levels: 52.3% no to 47.7% yes.
• Proposition 4: Funds Critical Care at Children’s Hospitals: 60.6% yes to 39.4% no.
• Proposition 5: Removes Unfair Moving Penalty for Seniors, the Severely Disabled and Disaster Victims: 58.1% no to 41.9% yes.
Proposition 3
Proposition 3 would have authorized $8.877 billion in state general obligation bonds for various infrastructure projects and funded improvements to water safety and quality, watershed and fisheries, habitat protection programs, water conveyance, groundwater sustainability and storage, and surface water storage and dam repairs.
Bond proceeds were to have provided major funding for watershed improvements and better management practices that would have improved water quality and supply; safe drinking and wastewater treatment for disadvantaged communities; stabilizing groundwater levels in overdrafted groundwater basins; funding for recycling wastewater; funding for leak detection, toilet replacement and landscape conversion; and repairing the Oroville Dam spillway.
Other Measures
• Proposition 1 authorizes $4 billion in general obligation bonds for housing-related programs, loans, grants, and projects and housing loans for veterans. Proposition 1 is projected to create more than 100,000 jobs associated with or indirectly related to the construction of new housing and inject billions of dollars back into the state’s economy.
• Proposition 2 is a revenue bond that spends only revenue generated from Proposition 63 (2004), which provides for a 1% tax on income above $1 million (an estimated $2.23 billion in the fiscal year 2018–2019). This measure authorizes the state to use the revenue generated from Proposition 63 (2004) on $2 billion in revenue bonds to address the homelessness crisis in California for those suffering from mental health issues. There will be no additional taxes and no additional spending from the General Fund as a result of this bond.
• Proposition 4 authorizes $1.5 billion in general obligation bonds, to be repaid from state’s General Fund, to fund grants for construction, expansion, renovation, and equipping of qualifying children’s hospitals.
Proposition 4 will help the 13 regional children’s hospitals meet growing demand for services and update technology
• Proposition 5 would have allowed people over 55 years old, severely disabled homeowners and owners of contaminated or disaster-destroyed property to sell their homes, move and transfer their property tax basis to the replacement residence.
