LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Hopes remain alive that a $1 million appropriation for Clear Lake restoration projects could become a reality.

On Monday the state Legislature passed the $117 billion budget bill for the 2015-16 fiscal year, which includes the lake appropriation that Assemblyman Bill Dodd and Sen. Mike McGuire have shepherded through the budget process, as Lake County News has reported.

The appropriation – which would come from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund Budget – is to be used for water quality and wetlands restoration projects, and protecting the lake against invasive species.

Ezrah Chaaban, Dodd's chief of staff, said Gov. Jerry Brown should receive the bill shortly and now has 12 days to sign or veto the bill.

However, Clear Lake's appropriation still has hurdles to clear.

For one, the budget bill likely is to undergo more changes before it's truly finished.

State Treasurer John Chiang reported Monday that more work on the bill is needed “to resolve interparty, as well as intraparty disagreements.”

While the California Constitution requires lawmakers to pass the budget bill by June 15, Chiang said the real budget deadline is June 30 – the point by which the governor must sign or veto the bill.

Chiang urged lawmakers to create a spending plan that “remains fiscally-disciplined in paying down the massive budgetary debt, makes sound investments, and prepares for the next economic upheaval,” in order to help California rise “out of the basement level of creditworthiness.”

Another challenge is that Brown could strike the appropriation out of the budget himself.

Even when a final bill is given to the governor, he can line item veto – or “blue pencil” – out specific items, Chaaban said.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will consider sending Gov. Brown a letter in support of the appropriation.

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce is encouraging local businesses to write Brown. The chamber has emailed a copy of a letter businesses can use as a template that raises concerns about the lake's loss of wetlands, the threat of invasive species, deteriorating water quality, and asserts that Clear Lake – the largest freshwater lake in California – is a valuable local and state resource.

“It is our understanding that the Fish and Game Preservation Fund Budget projects a $25 million surplus for next year, and that the pending appropriation of funding for Clear Lake is a one-time action.  Therefore, we believe this request is well within the Fund’s capability to accommodate,” the letter states.

Community members and businesses who want to support the appropriation can contact the governor by calling him at 916-445-2841 or sending a message through his Web site, https://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.