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By Alex Nieves | 06/26/2024 06:27 AM EDT
Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire said Monday that the Legislature has until July 3 to place bonds on the November ballot, rather than June 27.
State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire said lawmakers have more time to negotiate climate and school bond deals. Rich Pedroncelli/AP
California Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire said Monday that the Legislature has until July 3 to place bonds on the November ballot, signaling the likelihood that lawmakers will miss their original June 27 deadline to pass climate and school funding measures.
McGuire said on the eve of the original deadline that lawmakers aren’t ready to release bond language that can be voted on by Thursday. “We’ve been working like hell on the issue of bonds, and we’re in the home stretch,” he said in a statement. “We do have a little bit of wiggle room — bond measures can be added to the November ballot until July 3. We are working with the Secretary of State and Legislative Counsel to ensure we meet the July 3 deadline.”
Lawmakers are still hashing out their spending priorities for some $20 billion in climate and education funding that they’re hoping to place on the November ballot. Hundreds of millions of dollars in climate funding priorities were still being negotiated as of Monday afternoon, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations whom POLITICO granted anonymity to discuss confidential talks.
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, author of his chamber’s climate bond, said last week that Assembly and Senate negotiators were close to reaching a deal but were still trying to close the gaps in sections related to water, wildfire, agriculture and energy infrastructure funding.
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