Today, Californians made clear their support and commitment to protecting, enhancing, and growing our state’s environmental treasures by passing Proposition 68! Proposition 68 will address some of our most critical water and natural resource needs and, for the first time ever in a resources bond, prioritize environmental enhancements in disadvantaged communities.
Over the past 15 years, Conservation Strategy Group (CSG) has worked to pass major statewide initiatives in order to secure and maintain funding for the protection and restoration of our state’s natural resources. We are excited that Proposition 68 will join Propositions 12, 13, 40, 50, and 84’s legacy as a successful natural resource protection bond.
CSG would like to thank our clients and Conservation Action Fund members for being an integral part of the #YesOn68 campaign. This campaign’s success is in large part due to the resources and time they spent educating their members, participating in digital engagement efforts, writing op-eds, mobilizing members to vote, and, of course, making financial contributions that enabled the campaign to hire exceptional consultants at RALLY and Fiona Hutton & Associates.
The diverse coalition of over 700 conservation, water, labor, business organizations, local governments, and public health groups that came together to support the campaign led to the overwhelming support from California’s most influential editorial boards.
CSG would also like to thank Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) for their tireless work on behalf of California’s communities and natural resources. Under their leadership, both the Senate and Assembly worked with the Governor’s administration to reach a deal on SB 5 (de León) to get this critical measure on the ballot.
Funding Provisions in Prop 68:
Prop. 68 allocates $2.83 billion in funding for parks and natural resources projects, including over $1 billion to local parks throughout the state, primarily to fund new parks in neighborhoods that are park poor. The measure also provides critically needed funding to protect the state’s natural resources and wildlife, coastal redwoods, Sierra forests, and rivers, lakes, and streams in all parts of the state. Furthermore, Prop. 68 will improve California’s resilience to climate change by investing in a broad portfolio of programs that help address challenges with protecting and maintaining healthy natural systems that provide clean air and water.
In addition to the critical funding to parks and natural resources provided in the measure, Prop. 68 also allocates $1.27 billion for water-related investments including safe drinking water projects, groundwater cleanup and management, and better protecting California communities from the threats of drought and flood. A more detailed breakdown of funding allocations in Prop. 68 is available here.
Looking Forward:
This year, the Legislature and the Governor are proposing to appropriate over $1 billion in Prop. 68 funds for various programs including, but not limited to: parks in park poor communities, water supply and safe drinking water programs, urban forestry, state conservancies, and the Wildlife Conservation Board. The state’s 2018-2019 annual budget must be approved by the Legislature by June 15th and the Governor has until June 30th to sign it into law.
CSG will continue to work closely with the Legislature and state agencies throughout the implementation process to roll out funding for key natural resources, conservation, and parks programs.
For additional information and assistance on Proposition 68 implementation, contact Tasha Newman (tasha@csgcalifornia.com) or Kelly Solov (kelly@csgcalifornia.com) at 916-558-1516. To learn about other CSG projects and services, check out www.csgcalifornia.com. To stay up to date on major policy issues in California, sign up for our Policy Blog emails here.