Survey: Majority of Californians Would Approve Water Bond

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A majority of California voters would approve a water bond on the November ballot, according to a statewide survey released July 23 by the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank.

Around 61% of residents would vote yes to a measure with a price tag of $11.1 billion, with 22% saying they would vote no.

About 51% of likely voters would vote yes, and 26% would vote no, the survey found.

The $11.1 billion figure is the amount of the current measure set to go on the November ballot, though many have criticized it as being too large and replete with earmarks.

For the past year, state lawmakers have been arguing over the size and specific allocations of new water bond that would replace the current measure. Many different bills have been proposed, but none have yet been approved by both houses.

The legislature is currently on recess through July. They will go on final recess on Aug. 31.

If the legislature is able to pass a bond with a lower amount, voters will be more likely to approve that measure, the survey found.

About 69% of residents said they would vote yes for a smaller bond, with 14% saying they would vote no.

Asked how important it is that voters pass the state water bond, 46% say it is very important and 30% say it is somewhat important.

The survey also found that 75% of residents say they favor their local water districts requiring residents to reduce water use. In an open-ended question, around 35% of voters named water supply or drought as the most important environmental issue facing California today.

Survey findings were based on a telephone survey of 1,705 California adult residents interviewed from July 8 through July 15.

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