SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders will propose more than $1 billion in drought relief spending for California, according to a legislative staffer who has been briefed on the package.
The staffer tells The Associated Press that the vast majority of the package to be announced Thursday accelerates spending that voters have already approved for water and flood projects.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the staffer is not authorized to speak to the media.
A portion will also provide immediate aid to communities facing dire water shortages and unemployment.
The proposal includes money for emergency drinking water, food aid for the hardest-hit counties, fish and wildlife protections and groundwater management.
Brown signed a $687 million drought-relief package last March.
The legislation will require majority approval from the state Legislature.
