Effort to Repeal SMART Gains Momentum

The wheels of repeal are starting to chug along the railroad tracks of Marin and Sonoma counties well before a proposed passenger rail system gets under way.

Voters upset with cost overruns and management practices of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit district are moving forward with an effort to repeal the quarter-cent sales tax in both counties that helps fund the light rail system that was promised to be up and running by 2014.

RepealSMART sent a letter to SMART Interim General Manager Farhad Mansourian on June 30 asking for copies of all reports, spreadsheets, presentations, e-mails and other correspondences with SMART board members and notes from several SMART staff members dating to May 1.

was to operate a light rail system between Cloverdale and Larkspur Landing. In the past nine months, plans have been scaled back because of funding shortfalls in the $150 million range. Many stations planned along the route have been deferred until more funding can be secured, including the near the intersection of Atherton Avenue and North Redwood Boulevard. As it stands now, the only station in Novato would be in Hamilton.

Also as risk of partial elimination is a multiuse path along the entire rail route intended for pedestrians and cyclists.

On Friday, RepealSMART sent a letter to SMART Chairwoman Valerie Brown and Vice Chairwoman Judy Arnold (see attached) saying updated and accurate costs overrun figures have not been disclosed to the public or the commissioners of the Transportation Authority of Marin. The group contends that the cost estimates for building the scaled-back passenger rail system between Santa Rosa and San Rafael are known by the SMART board and , but TAM commissioners were not briefed prior to their June vote on an to SMART’s start-up costs.

TAM has scheduled another vote on the $8 million contribution for July 7 following two confusing votes on June 23 — one a 7-7 tie and one an 8-6 vote in favor that took place after almost everybody had left the meeting.

“We hope that there is a simple explanation for any withholding of this material from select TAM commissioners prior to their vote to extend additional financial aid to SMART and look forward to any explanation or clarification that you are able to provide … not just to us but to the public as well,” RepealSMART leaders say in the July 1 letter.

The letters sent in the past few days were co-signed by Novato resident John Parnell, one of the leaders of RepealSMART, which two weeks earlier informed the SMART board that it is pursuing a repeal of the sales tax measure or a dissolution of SMART entirely.

Parnell is part of a group that either disapproved the rail project from the start or voted in favor of it in 2008 and have become disgusted with the cost overruns and pared-back implementation plans. About 400 people are either registered on the RepealSMART website or are friends of the group’s Facebook page.

“I was a supporter of SMART up until October or November,” said Parnell, a pharmaceuticals salesman. “We’ve been described as sore losers from the 2008 election, but a lot of us are former supporters who are having a pragmatic change of heart.”

The June 15 letter stated, in part, “Depending upon the answer to the question of the procedure for a dissolution petition, we intend to quickly make a decision as to whether we will circulate a petition to qualify an initiative petition to repeal the sales tax, or circulate a petition for dissolution of the district, or both.  The purpose of this letter is to put the board on notice of our intentions.”

Parnell said he thinks the odds are “very good” that Repeal SMART will gather enough signatures to get a referendum on the ballot by next spring. He said about 40,000 verified signatures would be needed. 

“I think the odds are getting better and better when we see this with the TAM vote,” he said.