Good news for the environment in Propositions 12 & 13 park and water bonds
by Frances Spivy-Weber
The Legislature and Governor put two bond acts on the March 7, 2000 ballot: the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000 (Park Bond, Proposition 12) and the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water, Watershed Protection, and Flood Protection Bond Act (Water Bond, Proposition 13). The titles are similar, but the focus of each is different, yet each reinforces the other. Both propositions, if approved by the voters and used effectively by California communities, will be good news for the environment.
Mono Lake and the Mono Basin community could benefit directly and will definitely benefit indirectly from the passage of both bonds. 66 percent of the Park Bond is for local and state parks, making the Tufa State Reserve, Bodie State Historical Park, Mono County Park, and Hess Park all eligible for Park Bond funds. The Water Bond projects will increase dry year water supply by almost 1 million acre-feet — without building more dams. Mono Lake’s greatest long-term threat is the possibility that in 10–30 years, Southern California’s need for water could be great enough to overpower the 1994 Water Board decision. The governor and legislature are proposing to make Water Bond investments in conservation, water recycling, watershed protection, and water quality improvements. These are just the kind of investments that will help protect Mono Lake and other “Mono Lakes” in the future.
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