Accord Reached on $6.2-Billion Bond Proposal : Public works: Legislature must ratify agreement reached by Wilson and legislative leaders on ballot package for schools, prisons and other projects.
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Pete Wilson and legislative leaders agreed Wednesday to place a $6.2-billion bond package for schools, prisons and other public works projects before the voters in June and November, according to sources close to the negotiations.
The agreement must be ratified by both houses of the Legislature, which will be asked to approve it next week, the sources said.
In striking the bargain, the Republican governor and the Democratic leaders in the Legislature appeared to abandon hope of portraying the bonds as an economic recovery package.
With more than half the proposal headed for the November ballot, it will be at least a year before the bulk of the money is translated into new jobs in the construction industry. Most economists believe that the recession will have ended by then.
The deal calls for $1.9 billion in bonds to finance public-school construction to appear on the June 2 ballot.
Also on that ballot would be $900 million for higher-education buildings and $50 million for construction of child-care facilities.
Another $3.4 billion is to go on the November ballot. Included in that package would be $650 million for prisons and $250 million for county jails.
Also on that ballot would be $325 million for housing, $578 million for parks, $550 million for flood control, water and sewer projects and $20 million for forestry.
Already scheduled to be on the November ballot is a $1-billion bond issue for rail transit projects.
The tentative deal was reached after several days of closed-door meetings between Wilson and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), Democratic Senate leader David A. Roberti of Los Angeles, Assemblyman Republican leader Bill Jones of Fresno and Senate Republican leader Ken Maddy of Fresno.
The four party leaders are expected to brief rank-and-file members of the Legislature today.
The leadership quintet was not able to agree on a proposed ballot measure that would allow local schools to sell bonds with the approval of a simple majority of their voters. Current law requires the approval of two-thirds of the voters.
Republicans in the Assembly opposed such a measure, which would be an amendment to the state Constitution.
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