2018 California Proposition 68

The Proposition would allow the State of California to borrow $4.1bn using a municipal bond scheme in order to fund parks, water and flood protection infrastructure and various environmental projects. The Proposition set allocation of these funds between different strategies: • Natural Resource Conservation and Resiliency - $1.547bn • State conservancies and wildlife conservation - $767m • Climate preparedness and habitat resiliency - $443m • Ocean and coastal protection - $175m • River and waterway improvements - $162m • Parks and recreation - $1.283bn • Parks in neighbourhoods with few parks - $725m • Local and regional parks - $285m • State park restoration, preservation and protection - $218m • Trails, greenways, and rural recreation - $55m • Water - $1.27bn • Flood protection - $550m • Groundwater recharge and cleanup - $370m • Safe drinking water - $250m • Water recycling - $100m The cost to the public was estimated to be $7.8bn after paying off interest, or an average annual repayment of $200m for forty years. ==Campaign==

Support Proposition 68 was authored by State Senator Kevin de León. The 'Yes' campaign focused mainly on the improvements the Proposition would bring to parks, saying that it would remedy years of "under-investment" in environmental infrastructure in poorer communities. 'Yes' supporters spent more than $9m throughout the campaign. Endorsements • Jerry Brown, then-Governor of California • Gavin Newsom, then-Lieutenant Governor of California • Los Angeles Times, the United States' fifth largest newspaper, based in Los Angeles • The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento's largest newspaper • Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angeles newspaper • The Mercury News, paper from San Jose, California • The Outdoor Industry Association • Save the Redwoods League • Peninsula Open Space Trust • Chico Enterprise-Record, newspaper of Chico, California ==Results==

Yes/No Statement A "yes" vote on Proposition 68 proposes: The state could sell $4.1 billion in general obligation bonds to fund various natural resources-related programs such as for habitat conservation, parks, and water-related projects. A "no" vote on Proposition 68 proposes: The state could not sell $4.1 billion in general obligation bonds to fund various natural resources-related programs. Results Proposition 68 gained 3,808,000 yes votes and 2,831,899 no votes (a total of 6,639,899 votes), so passing with 57.35% approval ==References==