California lawmakers advanced a bill that would speed up spending approved by voters for climate-related projects, including water improvements and wildfire and drought preparedness.
Assemblymember David Alvarez of Chula Vista introduced the measure, Assembly Bill 35, seeking to cut certain regulations tied to Proposition 4 so the state can disburse the billions voters approved more quickly. The bill moved forward from the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday, and it is expected to face a floor vote in the Assembly next week.
Under AB 35, certain funding tied to Proposition 4 would be exempt from review under California’s Administrative Procedure Act, a process Alvarez said can cause lengthy delays in implementing programs. Alvarez framed the proposal as a way to help meet what voters expected when they approved the state’s biggest climate investment yet, a $10 billion bond.
Alvarez said the exemption is not new or unprecedented, and he argued that the timing is particularly urgent in his district. “The exemption is not new or unprecedented,” Alvarez said. “The urgency is especially real in my district where communities have endured years of sewage pollution.”
At a committee hearing last week, Alvarez said the measure is a priority for addressing sewage pollution in the Tijuana River, which he said affects his district along the U.S.-Mexico border. He said the bill could provide as much as $30 million for cleanup projects near the river. Alvarez also said the legislation could help speed funding of other climate projects by 12 to 18 months.
The bill would exempt Proposition 4 funding from the Administrative Procedure Act review process, but it would not affect earmarks lawmakers approved from the bond. The $10 billion Proposition 4 included $3.8 billion approved for updating drinking water systems and drought resistance, according to the report.
The proposal fits a broader pattern of climate spending delays that lawmakers and advocates have cited in past bond efforts. Voters approved Proposition 1 in 2014, allocating $1 billion for a water storage project in the Sacramento Valley that remains under construction, and a separate proposal to speed building high-speed rail by streamlining permitting failed in the Legislature last year despite voter approval of a $10 billion bond to build the project nearly two decades ago.
Opposition to the climate bond in 2024 had included criticism of the debt level for taxpayers as well as concerns about likely project delays and a lack of accountability. A legislative analysis cited in the report estimated Proposition 4 would cost taxpayers $16 billion over 40 years to pay off. The report also said last year lawmakers allocated $250 million from the $10 billion bond toward unrelated projects in districts during a budget deficit and cuts to social services and state positions, including $50 million for a redwood trail in Mike McGuire’s Santa Rosa district and $1 million for an interactive water exhibit at a Santa Barbara museum in the district of Sen. Monique Limón.
Supporters of AB 35 include local governments and environmental groups such as the Wilderness Society and National Audubon Society, with the report saying there is no formal opposition to the measure. The report also said the Wildlife Conservation Board, an agency expected to receive Proposition 4 funding, had a quarter of its $339 million allocation go toward additional earmarks for special projects in lawmakers’ districts, including $16 million to prevent urban development on San Julian Ranch in the district of Assemblymember Gregg Hart.
The bill has support from both parties, with Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones listed among 30 co-authors. Jones, a San Diego Republican who led the opposition to Proposition 4 in 2024 and criticized its subsequent earmarks, said it is his job to ensure San Diego participates in this kind of funding. “It’s my job to make sure San Diego participates in any of this type of funding,” Jones said. “AB 35, in my opinion, is good government. Because its purpose is to eliminate delays and waste in getting these processes removed.”
The report said as many as nine projects could receive expedited funding for the Tijuana River, where it said little action has been taken at the state level.
AB 35 awaits action by the full Assembly.