2024 California Proposition 4


Proposition 4, titled Authorizing bonds for safe drinking water, wildlife prevention, and protecting communities and natural lands from climate risks, was a California ballot proposition and legislative statutes that passed by vote on in the 2024 general election on November 5, 2024.
The proposition "authorize $10 billion in general obligation bonds for water, wildfire prevention, and protection of communities and lands."

Aftermath

Despite the pitch being for new expenditures to be funded by the proposition, over $275 million in Prop 4 funds have been used to backfill the state's general fund. California lawmakers have faced criticism for using a significant amount of Proposition 4 funds as pork, including $16 million for a conservation easement for a private ranch in Santa Barbara, $40 million to secure access to a private beach, and $1 million for an alternative meat research facility at UC Davis.
The 2025-2026 California Spending Plan sets forth the broad allocations of the proceeds of the bonds with $3.5 billion allocated for the first year implementation:
  1. Safe Drinking Water, Drought, Flood and Water Resilience - $1.2 billion of $3.8 billion;
  2. Wildfire and Forest Resilience - $598 million of $1.5 billion;
  3. Coastal Resilience - $279 million of $1.2 billion;
  4. Biodiversity and Nature-Based Climate Solutions - $390 million of $1.2 billion;
  5. Clean Energy - $275 million of $850 million;
  6. Park Creation and Outdoor Access - $466 million of $700 million;
  7. Extreme Heat Mitigation - $110million of $450 million; and
  8. Climate Smart Agriculture- $153 million of $300 million