<p>A little-known $3.46 billion bond measure to buy coastal lands and improve water quality has landed on the statewide ballot for November amid criticism that it is skewed toward environmental priorities and projects in Southern California.</p>
<p>The initiative -- called the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002 by its proponents -- was drafted principally by Joe Caves, an environmental lawyer and lobbyist in Sacramento, and is backed by the Nature Conservancy and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.</p>