3 months ago
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- An $11.1 billion water bond approved this week by California lawmakers is filled with special interest earmarks that reward legislative districts in nearly every corner of the state.
An Associated Press review found dozens of projects that were injected into the bond bill to secure enough votes to get it passed. The projects will add tens of millions of dollars to the interest taxpayers will have to pay on the bond if voters approve it next year.
Many of the projects are only peripherally related to the purpose of the legislative package, which is intended to increase California's water supply and restore the ecologically fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Several lawmakers from both parties said the earmarks were added to gain sufficient votes to pass the most comprehensive water package to come out the Legislature in decades. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had described the bond as a wise investment for the state's future and is expected to sign it next week.
The Associated Press
