New survey finds majority of San Joaquin Valley voters support water bond proposition

(October 30, 2018) – According to a new survey of the San Joaquin Valley conducted by the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy at Fresno State, in cooperation with the California Water Institute at Fresno State and the Friant Water Authority, 64 percent of likely voters would vote yes on Proposition 3, the Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018, a statewide measure that would fund a number of water resources management projects throughout the state.

“The results clearly indicate that San Joaquin Valley voters understand that the standard of living and quality of life in the Valley relies on the availability of water to support the food production system to serve a national and global demand for food,” said Thomas Esqueda, executive director of the California Water Institute.

This is the first joint survey on Valley water attitudes released by the California Water Institute and the Friant Water Authority.

On a question about the importance of water to the future of jobs and services in their community, nine out of 10 respondents said that it is “very important.” On another question, 94 percent of respondents agreed that water is as important to the San Joaquin Valley as high technology is to Silicon Valley.

The findings are based on responses from an online panel of 486 likely voters from the San Joaquin Valley. The survey was conducted Oct. 9 through 15, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.

“Just as the Silicon Valley requires people, and transportation infrastructure investment, to support a high-technology economy that produces products that are distributed around the globe, the San Joaquin Valley requires water, and water infrastructure investment, to support a food production economy that also distributes products worldwide,” said Jason Phillips, CEO of the Friant Water Authority.

The Fresno State-Friant Water Authority Valley Water Attitudes Survey is intended to be the first of an on-going collaboration between the California Water Institute and the Friant Water Authority on water-related issues facing the Valley.

The full report of the findings of this topic can be found here on the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy website.

For more information about the survey, contact Dr. Jeff Cummins at 559.278.6693 or Dr. Lisa Bryant at 559.278.7612 or 559.512.0124. Additional information is available by contacting Alexandra Biering, government affairs and communications manager with Friant Water Authority, at 916.628.0431, or Thomas Esqueda, California Water Institute executive director at 559.246.6121.