State Assembly Narrowly Approves Parks Bond Ballot Measure

A three billion dollar state parks bond has eked through the California Assembly.

The bill to place the bond on the June 2018 ballot needed two-thirds support to pass. It advanced with the bare minimum 54 votes – all from Democrats, who leveraged their supermajority.

About a third of the funding would go to neighborhood parks, while the rest would go toward state parks and coastal protection. The bill’s author, Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, says low-income districts that barely have any neighborhood parks need the support.

“Parks are important not only for the health and wellness aspects of it, but public safety for young children, as well as they’re good for the environment,” Garcia says.

Republicans opposed the bond, arguing that it would increase the state’s debt.

The measure must still pass the Senate, which has a different proposal that also includes flood control projects. It also faces a questionable future with Gov. Jerry Brown, who generally opposes bond measures as poor fiscal policy.