Proposition 84 Clean Water

Shoring up levees, building reservoirs and purging pollution from the state's bays and streams may have been what voters had in mind in November when they approved billions of dollars of borrowing for crucial water projects. 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.

It's hard to know whether to shout in anger or chuckle at the chutzpah. Perhaps we should just nod in respect to the clever tactics. Maybe all of the above. Bill Leonard, member of the state Board of Equalization, says: "My reaction is, 'I told you so.' " That's irresistible and I'll join him. Proposition 84 -- sold last year as a water protection bond -- was one of five special interest ballot initiatives crafted to spend and/or tax.

Voters may feel deja vu when they ponder Proposition 84 on the Nov. 7 ballot, because like five other bond measures in the last decade, it promises clean water, flood control, better parks and coastal protection. And like the last water bond to go before voters, in 2002, Proposition 84 was written by a Sacramento lobbyist whose clients are land preservation and environmental groups that stand to win public money for pet projects through the measure.