CA: Water bond ballot initiative qualifies for November election (What's 5B more anyway?)

Ready or not, the $37.2 billion infrastructure bond package on the November ballot just got a little bigger. About $5 billion bigger, to be exact.

A coalition of California environmental groups has qualified an initiative that calls for $5.4 billion in bonds to pay for water quality improvements, protection of rivers, lakes and streams, shoreline protection and parkland purchases. Backers of the measure made it clear that they'll be hugging the governor's bipartisan bond package tight in an effort to get the conservation bonds passed.

"This is the fifth prong of the infrastructure bonds," said Fiona Hutton, a spokeswoman for the proponents, who are using the voter-friendly name of Californians for Clean Water, Parks and Coastal Protection. "This is a very complementary measure."

Many of the environmental proposals were part of the legislative debate over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's infrastructure plan. But environmental groups put together plans for a separate initiative, in case they were cut off in the final compromises over the bonds.

When the water quality bond was stalled by a partisan dispute over aboveground storage (dams and reservoirs to those to whom enviro-speak isn't a first language), the environmental groups rolled out the initiative and collected the nearly 600,000 signatures needed to put it on the November ballot.

By design, the bonds feature something for everyone. It divvies up $1 billion in water quality money among 12 different "hydrologic regions" in the state, provides $400 million for expansion and rehabilitation of state parks and allocates millions more for things like salmon and steelhead fishery restoration in the Bay-Delta region, river parkway projects of the San Joaquin River Conservancy and restoration of the Salton Sea.

What a joke! The Infrastructure investments that the Republicans were looking for was for DAMS and water storage, not to clean up beaches and have clean parks. Sheesh--even the Nature Conservancy has adopted the new line of "Without raising taxes...". I guess any amount of borrowing is AOK with liberals of both parties. I'm sure RFK jr. and his WaterKeeper Alliance will be happy with the new funding--IF they can get this passed.

Bond measure to protect water programs gets on fall ballot
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
June 13, 2006

SACRAMENTO – Another bond measure has joined an already crowded November ballot, this one asking voters to approve spending $5.4 billion on water, parks and coastal protection.
The measure has been sharply criticized for not including funding for new reservoirs, but does earmark money for clean-water programs and levee safeguards that could keep supplies flowing south to the Los Angeles region in the event of flooding or an earthquake in the Sacramento Delta.
The secretary of state's office announced Tuesday that backers had collected enough valid signatures of registered voters to qualify the initiative.
It will take its place alongside a separate $37 billion package of public works projects promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature.
The measure sets aside funding for local programs, including Santa Monica Bay, the Los Angeles River and state parks. It also includes money to help keep supplies flowing out of the Colorado River – a key source of drinking water for Southern California.
“Clean water, parks and natural areas are critical to our quality of life, but funding to protect these precious resources hasn't kept pace with California's rapid growth,” said Mark Burget, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in California.
“Without raising taxes, this initiative will provide the funding California needs to keep our drinking water safe and protect our rivers, lakes, forests and other wildlife habitat before it is too late,” he continued.
The outcome is far from assured. Voters in the low-key, low-turnout June election rejected a library bond, signaling they may not be in the mood to accept more debt. At the same time, they will be asked to approve $37 billion for roads, schools, housing and levees.
Encinitas-based Olivenhain Municipal Water District has come out against the bond, arguing that it allocates too few dollars to developing new water supplies.
“They're saying it's a water bond, but there's no water in it,” said Sue Varty, vice president of the Olivenhain board. According to the district's figures, voters have approved $11 billion as part of water bond measures over the last decade. “We've seen nothing of that. There's no storage,” Varty said.
Supporters counter there's more to water than reservoirs, including funding for clean-water programs to assure quality, boosting conservation and protecting existing supplies from disruptions.
Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders originally worked to offer voters a similar resources bond as part of their overall public works package. But compromise proved elusive as mostly Republicans balked over the lack of funding for new reservoirs and the emphasis on environmental programs.
Meanwhile, the initiative rolled along with backers gathering far more signatures than necessary, which effectively allowed Democrat leaders to hold the line on dams.
The Metropolitan Water District has not taken a position on the measure.
Other major funding categories include: $1.28 billion for water supply and water quality programs, $928 million for river and lake protection, $800 million for flood, $540 million for clean beaches and bays, $450 million for wildlife and forest conservation, and $400 million for parks.

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