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With California’s population projected to increase by 20 million over the next 20 years, the state legislature has drafted the Rebuild California plan, five proposals on the Nov. 7 ballot which aim to revitalise the state’s aging infrastructure without increasing taxes.

“California’s population will reach 50 million in the next 20 years – twice what our current infrastructure was designed for,” said a statement in favor of the Rebuild California written jointly by Marion Bergeson, chairwoman of the California Transportation Commission, Alan Lloyd, former chairman of the California Air Resources Board and Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce.

The propositions, which would be funded by $37.3 billion of issued bonds, would help improve public infrastructure and services such as transportation, low-cost housing, public education and disaster protection. The proposals differ from past infrastructure bills which contained measures to reimburse their cost.

With Election Day just over a week away, both leading gubernatorial candidates have shown support for Rebuild California.

The candidates and other proponents of the plan stress the importance of improving the infrastructure now before the population balloons.

“It can’t be rebuilt overnight. That’s why we’ve got to start now,” the advocates wrote in a statement.

But critics of the initiative are concerned about the cost of the plan, especially given the budget deficit, and say the plan does not thoroughly address the problems California will face as its population booms.

“They haven’t really thought this through,” said Dan Mitchell, Ho-Su Wu professor of management and public policy. “They’re just putting together nice things and charging it off for the future without thinking about where the revenue is going to come from.”

Both Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides and incumbent Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have incorporated advocacy for the Rebuid California plan into their campaigns.

“We have to realize the fact that for the last 30 years we really haven’t built that much, and we haven’t really invested in infrastructure,” Schwarzenegger said Wednesday.

Angelides has also shown his support for the propositions.

“In order to provide for the workforce we need in the 21st century, it’s important that this measure passes,” said Brian Brokaw, spokesman for the Angelides campaign.

One of the initiatives, Proposition 1D, would affect UCLA directly as it would provide $38.6 for the construction of the Life Sciences Replacement Building on the site of Hershey Hall’s west wing. The funding for UCLA would come out of a total of $690 million in funding for the repair and construction of UC facilities. The proposition would provide an additional $200 million for UC medical facilities.

Rebuild California advocates said these proposals are urgently needed, despite financial concerns.

“It will make very significant investments in infrastructure that has been neglected for too long,” said Jim Earp, executive director of California Alliance for Jobs. “We are hopeful that they will all pass, but if any of them don’t we’ll go back to the drawing board and rework them. These measures are absolutely critical.”

Another source of opposition to the initiative comes from environmental groups who say they do not believe the plan will do enough to protect the environment as California’s population continues to grow.