Davis to Seek $100 Million in New Budget to Fight Beach Pollution

SACRAMENTO —  Gov. Gray Davis is proposing to spend $100 million in a new effort to combat pollution from sewage spills and storm drains that resulted in 5,000 beach closures and warnings about contamination in 1999, administration officials said Thursday.

Officials said they hope that with $100 million, they can reduce the number of beach closures and postings about pollution-related hazards by a fourth, and perhaps by half, within a year and a half.

The officials, speaking on the condition that they not be identified, said the $100-million beach pollution initiative will be included in the governor’s $100-billion-plus budget package, which he will release Wednesday.

The Legislature will hold hearings on the governor’s overall budget plan later this year. Administration officials said the decision about where to allocate the money will be made by the state Water Resources Control Board. But the bulk of the pollution-related warnings and closures occur in Southern California.

Portions of Santa Monica Beach accounted for 62 such events in 1999, while parts of Newport Beach had 256 closures or posted warnings, and Huntington Beach had 158, officials said.

Most of the problems result from runoff along city streets during storms or from sewage spills at treatment plants.

Officials said they believe the problem may be worse than the 5,000 incidents reported in 1999. But in order to determine the extent of the problem, the state needs to expand its monitoring.

In addition to the beach proposal, Davis is calling for $162 million to start construction at the new University of California campus at Merced. Part of the money would be used to recruit teachers at the campus, which is set to open in 2004.

Additionally, Davis administration officials say they will seek $50 million for enforcement to slow production of methamphetamine.