At the end of a frenetic few weeks of gathering signatures to halt the construction of a train connecting Marin and Sonoma counties, Repeal SMART organizers are set for a stressful Friday, when those signatures must be turned over in their effort to yank taxpayer money away from the commuter train system.
As contractors on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit job get ready to put hardhats on and dig in, those against the passenger rail system face a 5 p.m. Friday deadline to turn in thousands of signatures of people who support a voter initiative to halt funding from a quarter-cent tax increase approved by voters in 2008 to fund the train.
How many thousands of John Hancocks are needed? Either 15,000 or 40,000, depending on who you ask and which piece of legislation one trusts.
How many thousands of autographs have been gathered?
"We're still tabulating. It's kind of stressful. We're very close," said Repeal SMART founder and treasurer John Parnell of Novato on Thursday night.
Gloria Colter, assistant registrar of voters for Sonoma County, said Thursday afternoon that the Repeal SMART campaign would have to turn in petition sheets in both Sonoma and Marin counties for signatures gathered in each county. Parnell said the final clipboards with signatures would be counted Friday by Repeal SMART and turned in to the registrar’s office whether or not they attain 15,000 signatures.
He said the repeal campaign organizer believe they need to turn more than the 15,000 minimum because some signatures will be ruled invalid by registrar workers.
"From what everybody said, you need 19,000 or 20,000 to be safe, and that 18,000 is just too close," Parnell said. "We're going to be close. I don't know. I'm just really proud of the volunteers who worked so hard."
Colter said it hasn't been decided how many petition signatures are needed. One of two formulas will be used — with the SMART board deciding which formula. The two formulas are: 5 percent of the number of voters (in both counties) in the last gubernatorial election; or 10 percent of registered voters (in both counties) in the last general election.
Parnell said he still can't believe that the SMART board, not the registrars or the secretary of state, will decide whether it's 15,000 signatures or 40,000 his group needs verified.
"That's not how it's supposed to be,” he said. “This is not what the initiative process is supposed to be like ... (The registrars) just punted the issue. They knew it might be litigated and didn't want to be involved, and that stopped them from doing their jobs. What's to stop anybody from doing that again?
"We're still waiting to hear back from the secretary of state,” he continued. “Even that office is dodging us. This is really a case of two Davids going up against a Goliath political machine. We have every union and every politician campaigning not to have an election, and I find that very hypocritical."
The .25 percent sales tax to pay for most of the SMART train was approved by a combined vote of 69.5 percent in the two counties in 2008, on the heels of a 2006 vote in which the 65.3 percent approval didn’t meet the two-thirds threshold required.
On Thursday afternoon, Toni Shroyer and Dinah Mattos, both of Novato, set up their symbolic ironing board and gathered signatures. Shroyer, who was stationed in Terra Linda on a cool evening, said she was inspired by Parnell and Repeal SMART CEO Clay Mitchell to join the fight against SMART. She said what is being built and what was promised to voters three years ago are just too different to let go.
“Like Mr. Parnell, I voted for Measure Q in 2008, but as Parnell states so eloquently, 'The SMART concept we passed in 2008 and the SMART reality today are two very different truths,'" Shroyer said. "If our local government does a bait-and-switch on the voters, be it the SMART train or widgets, the issue deserves to be put back on the ballot to have the voters decide if they want the current change or not. Our democracy needs to stay intact."
— Healdsburg Patch's Keri Brenner contributed to this report
Population density is a huge issue. Why BART pulled out of Marin.
Despite throwing more money at it, bus routes had to be cut because of poor ridership. Buses do not solve the problem of having only one way to travel north-south (highway 101). Buses are not cheap despite all the people that like to say they are because of the labor costs to drive and maintain. We tried to throw more money at buses - MEASURE A in 2004 was passed and we are still paying the 1/2 cent sales tax for transportation. Ironic that Measure A costs twice as much as Measure Q (SMART). About 55% of Meausre A funds go toward local transit and zero goes toward rail.
SMART has options on over 100 more train cars.
The bus alternative that was proposed would be easy to expand eastward.
Like other transit systems the ridership will be modest to start but will grow over the years and service will expand. BART and the GG Ferries are good examples of this. No one seems to question the value of the GG Ferries these days despite the huge cost in subsidy monies that go into the Ferries. I believe that SMART will be an asset to Marin and Sonoma for the future of our kids and grandkids.
Considering Sonoma was almost put on water rationing in 2009, I don't see a lot of room for massive housing unit growth.
Prop Q funding estimates: Look at Marin and Sonoma's population growth. From 1998 to 2000 up 10% and 25% respectively. Then look at 2001 to 2008. Almost flat population growth. http://tinyurl.com/7mz9qec Now look at SMART's sales tax revenue projections. The fact the population stopped growing is not in the equations. see page 12. As a population grows by 25%, the sales tax revenue grows. But there is no leveling for the fact that growth is flat. Sure, they round down to 4%. But sale tax growth is around 3% from 2001 to 2008. http://www2.sonomamarintrain.org/userfiles/file/Funding%20Plan%20-%2007-15-08%20Final%20Version.pdf Now look at the revised numbers in 2009. The NUMBER ARE REVISED UPWARDS! (page 6) Lots of growth estimates in the 4.75 to 6.70% growth range. Out goes the 4% estimate for higher numbers. And SMART is able to reach the needed $845 million. http://www2.sonomamarintrain.org/userfiles/file/Strategic%20Plan%20Final%20%2006-17-09.pdf These changes resulted in a Strategic Plan that identified a funding gap in the project. To preserve the plan to build a complete 70-mile train and pathway project with passenger train service operating by Fall 2014, the Plan acknowledged a shortfall of $155 million http://www2.sonomamarintrain.org/userfiles/file/AnnualReport10.pdf
After the big one, I'd worry more about the walls / fences at San Quentin than the SMART rails. Think there will be any escapes? 700+ on death row.
In Norfork, they found the planners knew about the higher costs and chose to lie to the Federal government. (For the "greater good" no doubt.) I hope someone goes to jail to set an example. Field of economic dreams. Built it and jobs will come. I guess Stockton and Lancaster just need a good light rail.
You mentioned "built or zoned". How many units exist vs "zoned to be built?"
You can travel from Boston to rural Plymouth by train, and from Penn Station in Manhattan all the way to Philadelphia. Other lines from Manhattan take you to more remote locations, or what still is rural and suburban New Jersey, Upstate New York and Connecticut. So no excuses folks! The East Coast is America - not Europe. California, and the west in general, is filled with a rich train history. As the granddaughter of a Train man, I have heard how quickly the train went from being an essential part of both transit and freight to the pathetic system it is today. How did that happen? The 1950's, the advent of the car, and highway subsidies was the downfall of train travel, not density issues. So please - let's get back to the future - what was once essential can become useful again. I don't think 101 can be widened anymore. It's time to face reality and join the East Coast in making public transit by train a priority. Think about our children's children - they will need trains to keep Marin and the Bay Area beautiful. Just think about all the additional spare the air days and how much they will increase as our population grows.