California governor proposes spending $437 million on aging dams, flood control

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday proposed spending $437 million for flood control and emergency response and preparedness, days after damage at the country's tallest dam, located northeast of the state capital, led to the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people downstream. Damage to both the regular spillway and its emergency counterpart at the Oroville Dam earlier this month brought issues with aging infrastructure into sharp relief in a state that relies on a complex system of dams and reservoirs to irrigate farms and provide drinking water for nearly 40 million people. Brown, a Democrat, told reporters at a news conference that he would ask the state legislature to approve spending $387 million from a $7.5 billion water bond passed by voters in 2014. Another $50 million would come from the state's general fund budget, he said. Brown also said he requesting financial and regulatory assistance from the federal government in a letter that he said would be sent to President Donald Trump on Friday. (Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Leslie Adler)