SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday threw a new wrinkle into negotiations over his public works bond plan, asking lawmakers to approve another $3.5 billion for levee repairs.

The Republican governor sent letters to legislative leaders saying the state needed to borrow the additional money because federal funding was likely to be "delayed or significantly below the amount needed to address the threat posed by weakened levees."

The request came 10 days before a deadline for lawmakers to put bond measures on the June ballot and followed a trip to Washington by the governor that included efforts to line up federal flood funding.

It left frustrated Democratic leaders questioning the timing of the request and saying the poor shape of some Central Valley levees has been known for at least a year.

"It looks like (administration officials) are just careening all over the place…," said Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. "It's embarrassing; it's frustrating. My members are saying, 'Is there any direction at all?' I say, 'No, we're going to provide the direction."'

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said the governor's changing bond package was beginning to "look and feel a lot like" last year's failed effort to reach a compromise to head off the partisan fight over the November special election.

"Hopefully this is not just gamesmanship, but I've got to tell you a lot of members of my caucus feel the way this is being handled by the governor and his administration is not only sloppy but there is no seriousness there," he said.

Schwarzenegger asked lawmakers in January to approve $68 billion in bonds, including $2.5 billion for levee upgrades and other flood control projects, in a series of elections through 2014. The money would help pay for a $222.6 billion public works spending plan that also would provide money for improvements to highways and public transit systems, new schools, prisons, jails, courthouses and certain other facilities.

But in a letter delivered Tuesday night to Nunez and Wednesday morning to Perata, Schwarzenegger asked lawmakers to increase the amount of bonds for flood protection to $6 billion.

He said the additional state funding was needed because the $3 billion in federal aid he was counting on to help pay for levee upgrades might not be coming, at least not soon.

"I realize that by assuming responsibility for entire costs of levee repairs up front, we may lessen the pressure on the federal government to provide its share of cost," Schwarzenegger said in the letter. "But I believe the threat of levee failure in California is too great and we must take action."

Most at risk is the Sacramento region, where two major rivers intersect and suburban sprawl has put thousands of homes in the path of floodwaters if levees were to be breached or topped.

A spokesman for Schwarzenegger, H.D. Palmer, indicated the request for the additional funding for levees wouldn't necessarily increase the overall size of the governor's bond package. He said that was subject to negotiations with lawmakers.

"We're looking at a variety of options of how to accommodate it," he said.

Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance, also said the governor remains hopeful of reaching an agreement in time to put the first of the proposed bond measures on the June 6 primary election ballot.

But Perata said the governor's change in position on levee funding wouldn't help lawmakers approve ballot measures by the March 10 deadline to do so.

"We can get this thing done as fast as possible if people would cooperate and not confuse things," he said. "This is just taking time up that should not be taken up. … Talk about confusing the public."

Schwarzenegger's bond plan faces competition from proposals by lawmakers in both parties.

Democrats want a smaller package of bonds that includes funding for affordable housing, parks, wildlife habitat and hospital earthquake improvements. They also want more money for public transit than requested by the governor.

Republicans, at least those in the Assembly, want a pay-as-you-go approach that would earmark part of the annual state budget to pay for infrastructure improvements, a step they say would reduce the need for bonds.