Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/525498
ByFenitNirappil and Scott Smith TheAssociatedPress FIREBAUGH More than $340 million that was supposed to be rushed to drought-stricken Califor- nia communities sits un- spent in government bank accounts more than a year after lawmakers voted to use the money to provide water, protect wells from contamination and upgrade outdated water systems. Although millions of dol- lars from the same drought- assistance package have helped parched commu- nities across the state, the amount of money that re- mains untapped shows how slowly the wheels of govern- ment can turn even in a cri- sis. State officials acknowl- edge the slow pace of the spending, which they say is meant to ensure that the money is used wisely. But some say they would like to find ways to speed up the process. Weeks after he declared a state of emergency, Gov. Jerry Brown's administra- tion set aside $687 million to help house farmworkers and others struggling in drought-devastated coun- ties. Nearly half of it has not been awarded or spent, ac- cording to figures provided to The Associated Press by the state Finance Depart- ment. The package included some $239 million in- tended for local water sys- tems such as pipelines and water-treatment plants. Those projects will not be awarded until fall, which is considered on schedule even though lawmakers called the projects "shovel- ready." "A term like 'shovel- ready' implies that this is going to start happening" immediately or the next day, "when in reality, it's going to be many months," said Steve Boilard, a for- mer nonpartisan policy an- alyst who leads the Cen- ter for California Studies at Sacramento State Univer- sity. "The issue is not that this is taking longer than it should. It's taking longer than the voters have been led to expect." Administration officials defend their handling of the money. "Where there have been immediate needs, the state has committed immediate dollars," said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the Finance Department. "We want to spend it quickly, but we want to spend it properly." The Brown administra- tion's efforts have made a difference to city dwellers, farmers and wildlife hurt by the driest conditions in recent memory. Eleven new wells are tapping more un- derground water for Los Angeles. Slow-trickling valves have replaced sprin- klers on 200 acres of farm- land near Santa Maria. A vanishing pond near Sac- ramento has been replen- ished, protecting a pop- ular breeding ground for the threatened giant gar- ter snake. CALIFORNIA A ye ar l at er , dr ou gh t- re li ef money still goes unspent RICHPEDRONCELLI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Dustin Miller, of the Amador Water Agency, cleans out a water intake pipe in one of open water canals near Jackson. Much of the potable water used in the area flows through canals built by miners more than 100years ago. By Julia Horowitz The Associated Press SACRAMENTO California lawmakers on Tuesday ap- proved a hotly contested bill that would impose one of the strictest vaccina- tion laws in the country, after five hours of highly emotional testimony that brought hundreds of oppo- nents to the Capitol. SB277 is intended to boost vaccination rates af- ter a measles outbreak at Disneyland that sickened more than 100 in the U.S. and Mexico. It has prompted the most contentious legisla- tive debate of the year with thousands of opponents tak- ing to social media and leg- islative hearings to protest the legislation. The Assembly Health Committee approved the legislation 12-6 Tuesday evening with one lawmaker abstaining, sending it to the full Assembly for its final legislative hurdle. If the bill becomes law, California would join Mis- sissippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements. Yet despite impassioned, ongoing pleas from parents seeking to maintain medi- cal choice, a large portion of those who obtain per- sonal belief exemptions are not fundamentally op- posed to vaccination, said Dr. Mark Schleiss, a pedia- trician specializing in infec- tious disease at the Univer- sity of Minnesota. Schleiss, who hasn't taken a position on the Cal- ifornia bill, said most par- ents of unvaccinated chil- dren want to learn more and better understand the issues. Some parents, he said, simply find it more convenient to sign the back of a form or only partially vaccinate their children. "I don't see the majority of parents being so com- mitted to withholding vac- cinations that their minds wouldn't be changed," he said. "I think this will have an impact." The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sens. Richard Pan of Sacramento and Ben Allen of Santa Monica, would only allow children with serious health prob- lems to opt out of school- mandated vaccinations. School-age children who remain unvaccinated would need to be home-schooled. HEATED DEBATE State lawmakers pass vaccine bill RICH PEDRONCELLI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A stuffed bear is displayed during a rally against SB277, a measure requiring California schoolchildren to get vaccinated, Tuesday at the Capitol in Sacramento. Saturday,June13,2015 CLASSICCARSHOW·RIBCOOK-OFF·LIVEMUSIC CarShowstarts@9:00am·RibCook-Offstarts@11:00am Tickets just $20 each, available at coat check or online at www.rollinghillscasino.com GOLF•LODGING•EVENTCENTER GAMING • DINING • EQUESTRIAN I-5ATLIBERALAVE • CORNING WWW.ROLLINGHILLSCASINO.COM | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015 8 A ★