Water bond may be tapped for many uses

So it may come as a surprise that some of the debt they authorized could be headed toward a bike path through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, or "water-accessible overnight accommodations" on Lake Tahoe. Or a museum in Los Angeles. Even an aquarium 100 miles from the sea in Fresno.

Proposition 84 was a $5.3-billion bond measure that the official voter guide said would provide borrowing for "Water Quality, Safety and Supply. Flood Control. Natural Resource Protection. Park Improvements." Less visible was the fine print that allowed state officials to authorize millions of dollars in spending with limited constraints.

Lawmakers are now debating how to allocate the pot of money generated by the measure. Some are proposing bills to finance projects that may please constituents or, in some cases, campaign contributors.

Though most of the projects serve a public purpose, they also would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state's indebtedness. And for every $1 million spent, taxpayers fork out nearly an additional $1 million in interest over 30 years.

"This was supposed to be about strengthening the levees and water safety issues. That was the context under which people voted for it," said Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. "If we really wanted a museum and aquarium bond, voters could have considered that. But that is something that may not have been approved, considering the state's current economic situation."

Voters are usually asked to pass bond issues for huge public-works projects too costly to be absorbed in the state budget. But promoters of bond initiatives often tuck in provisions that allow spending for unrelated projects.

Joe Caves, the Sacramento lobbyist who wrote Proposition 84, said promoters were not being devious by including spending for aquariums, museum construction and other such things. He said those programs made the proposal more attractive to voters.

"An initiative has to address a range of issues that appeal to a range of voters out there," he said. "Otherwise it doesn't have broad-based support."