Davis OKs Water Bond Measure for Ballot

Calling it “by far the biggest water bond issue in the history of California,” Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday signed legislation to put a $1.97-billion water financing measure on the March 2000 ballot.

“In Y2K vote H2O,” Davis quipped, unofficially launching a campaign that is supported by a coalition of diverse farming, urban and environmental groups.

The bond would fund efforts to increase water supplies in Southern California and provide flood control in Northern California. It also would provide money to protect the ecologically delicate Sacramento River Delta. After a rancorous debate, the measure was one of the last bills pushed through the recent legislative session.

Opponents, including legislators from agricultural regions in the Central Valley, argued that it did not do enough to increase water storage in the state. Others argued that alongside a $2.1-billion parks bond measure that is also on the March ballot, voters are being asked to commit to too much too quickly.

However, water bond issues have fared well before voters in recent years, and supporters are optimistic that it will be approved. A 1996 issue, Proposition 204, won 62% of the vote. Described by some opponents as “classic pork barrel lawmaking,” the new bond proposal contains small and large projects benefiting practically every part of the state.

“This bond has a broad band of projects that will benefit California from the Oregon to the Mexican border,” said California Assemblyman Mike Machado (D-Linden), who coauthored the bond bill (AB 1584) with Sen. Jim Costa (D-Fresno). For Southern California, the bond issue earmarks $235 million for flood protection and watershed improvements along the Santa Ana River.

“Unless we see a drastic downturn in the economy in the next four months,” Machado said, “I don’t see any negative on this bond succeeding. And I believe we have a 50-50 chance this winter of having a drought or flood which will help sell it.”

The bond issue will be listed on the ballot as the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water, Watershed Protection and Flood Protection Act of 1999. It already has the support of more than 50 heavyweight political organizations ranging from the California Chamber of Commerce to the Nature Conservancy.

Southern California supporters include the city of Los Angeles, the Irvine Co., the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority and the Southern California Water Committee.

In the waning hours of the Legislature’s 1999 session last month, the water bond appeared hopelessly deadlocked until Davis met in a late night caucus with Republicans. Davis agreed to their demands to commit $20 million in next year’s budget to study state water needs, including the possibility of building reservoirs. He also agreed to commit another $20 million to water projects in Republican districts.

The bond legislation then sailed through the Assembly. With California in flush times economically, the two giant bond issues, including water and the largest parks bond issue in American history, are not expected to face major opposition from taxpayer rights or environmental groups, most of whom have signed off on the proposals.

Taxpayer rights groups have targeted a proposed state constitutional amendment that would allow local school districts to approve construction or rehabilitation work by a simple majority vote instead of the two-thirds vote now required. The measure is strongly supported by the California Teachers Assn.

“Our big issue in March will be the CTA initiative on school bonds,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

Another measure the governor signed into law Thursday was AB 1595 by Assemblywoman Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), which requires manufacturers to place health warnings on packages of cigars effective Sept. 1, 2000.

One of the mandated caveats reads: “Warning: Cigars contain many of the same carcinogens found in cigarettes, and cigars are not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes. This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects and other reproductive harm.”

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Times staff writer Mark Gladstone contributed to this story.