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Living up to its reputation as the county’s favorite whipping boy, the Santa Clara Valley Water District repeatedly botched its ballot measure language to extend property taxes. A judge recently ruled that multiple mistakes on the ballot measure to extend property taxes won’t stop it from going to voters. That’s a good thing. Despite the drama, most of the money will go toward cleaning up creek beds, ensuring safe drinking water and providing flood control. We say “most” because some of it could go toward providing elder board members of the Water District board, a golden parachute. A recent board agenda item to give appointed board members health insurance for life was pulled at the last minute by Water District CEO Beau Goldie. Both Goldie and Olga Martin Steele, the district’s interim chief administrative officer, and other board members admit that the idea has been on the table for years and was recently resuscitated. The question is why? The timing is obvious. Soon-to-retire board member Joe Judge‘s term will be up in December, and conventional wisdom holds that Judge has been hanging on to the position in recent years mainly to collect health benefits. Fellow board member Tony Estremera could also could also fall under the Spigotcare plan, as he and Judge were the last appointed board members before the decision process started. Some board members, such as Linda Lezotte and Patrick Kwok, adamantly oppose the health benefits for life, but it still doesn’t mean the issue is dead. Sources close to the situation expect it will return before the board sometime between the November election and Judge’s last meeting on Dec. 4. Even Goldie seems keen to revisit the matter. “I’d like to just close something out and put it to bed,” he said, “rather than leave something half-baked.”