(Sacramento, CA) – Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife, applauds Governor Gavin Newsom’s $5.1 billion water infrastructure, drought response, and climate resilience proposal, which includes $220 million for the Salton Sea. The newly announced Salton Sea funding would maximize habitat outcomes and provide immediate economic relief to the community.
“The Governor’s new water infrastructure proposal brings big news and potentially big dollars for the Salton Sea. Working in active coordination with the Governor and his administration, we are grateful to have the Governor’s support to ramp up Salton Sea mitigation efforts and excited for this opportunity to build on our progress with an additional $220 million state investment,” said Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia.
“This newly proposed $220 million would reinforce the $200 million we previously secured in Proposition 68 and align with our current legislative push to unlock $240 million for the Salton Sea along with other necessary allocations for community climate resilience and water infrastructure investments. The clock is ticking, and we must focus all of our energy to bring home these funds, meet our mitigation benchmarks, and improve the urgent public health, ecological, and economic conditions for our region."
Last week, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia convened a special Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee informational hearing on California drought preparedness, highlighting the need for additional investments in climate resilience. This year Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia introduced AB 1500, a climate resilience bond that includes $240 million for the Salton Sea and $15 million for the New River. This initiative goes hand in hand to achieve Governor Newsom’s water infrastructure and climate resilience goals for California.
Newly proposed investments for the Salton Sea would build on the $200 million Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia previously secured for the Salton Sea and New River through Proposition 68. Since Garcia’s landmark $200 million investment, the California Natural Resources Agency was able to kick off construction on the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project in January 2021. As part of the Salton Sea Management Plan, this project would create approximately 3,000 jobs and marks the state’s first large-scale project to create habitat and reduce exposed lakebed around the Sea. Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Senator Ben Hueso also supported legislation to expedite the delivery of the project.
