|
TALC Says YES on Contra Costa's Measure J
(formerly known as
Measure C)
 Thank
you and congratulations to all of the TALC supporters who worked
so hard on the negotiations over the renewal of Contra Costa
County’s transportation sales tax (formerly known as Measure C,
now known as Measure J on the November 2004 ballot). Your hard
work and advocacy over the past two years are what made it
possible to get significant funding for transit and smart growth
in the final spending plan. TALC’s Board of Directors recently
voted to endorse Measure J, with reservations.
In making this endorsement, the TALC Board of Directors cited
the significant improvement over the existing measure and the
adoption of innovative programs the coalition proposed. TALC's
Board, reflecting the view of some member groups, also voiced
some reservations about the final measure, particularly
concerning the details of the proposed Urban Limit Line. TALC is
committed to engaging Contra Costa residents to work with
elected officials and stakeholders in the county to ensure that
ongoing policy development will support alternatives to driving
and promote a livable county.
This was a difficult decision for the TALC Board to make, and we
know it will draw some questions, so we put together this
lengthy description of the reasoning behind this endorsement.
We hope you will join us in supporting Measure J.
Measure J: A Big Step Forward for Transit
and Smart Growth
The spending plan for Measure J is
a big step forward from the existing measure. Overall, Measure J
would devote over half (53%) of its funding to alternatives to
solo driving: 44% to mass transit and alternatives to driving
and 9% to HOV-related highway projects. The new measure funds
all of the programs recommended in the Transportation for
a Livable Contra Costa County platform signed by 40 groups
throughout the county, although at lower funding levels than the
platform recommended. The following programs are very important
to our member groups and funding for them represents the main
reason TALC supports Measure J:
-
$108 million for Transportation
for Livable Communities (TLC). This would be the first
transportation sales tax in the state to fund a smart growth
incentive program. The innovative program builds on MTC’s TLC
program that TALC has supported. The program gives priority to
projects that are linked to providing affordable housing near
transit or in downtown areas.
-
$91 million for Safe
Transportation for Children. Another first in the state,
this program would fund discount bus passes for low-income
students in West County, school bus service in San Ramon and
Lamorinda, and Safe Routes to Schools and other programs in
Central County (CCTA should supplement the sales tax funding for
these programs, especially for East County, where no funding is
allocated to this program from the sales tax).
-
$360 million for a wide range
of mass transit for commuters. While the existing sales tax
devoted the vast majority of its transit spending for the
extension of BART to Bay Point, the new Measure J wisely
distributes funding among a diverse range of transit
improvements, recognizing different needs in different parts of
the county. Measure J funds express buses, eBART, ferries, BART
station improvements, Capital Corridor trains, and the Commute
Alternative Network program.
-
Increased funding for local bus
services and for transportation for seniors and people with
disabilities (“paratransit”). Measure J's increased funding
for these services will support these important programs,
especially in West County, where needs are greatest. We caution,
however, that both programs will need additional funding in the
future, particularly as agencies must meet a rapidly growing
demand from the county’s aging population.
A comparison of the spending plans
in the new Measure J vs. the existing Measure C shows that the
new measure would be a big shift in priorities for Contra Costa
County. For details of the spending plan, see
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_msrc/msrc_final.html
Measure J also includes a Growth Management Program (GMP) that
ties 23% of the sales tax funds to compliance with seven GMP
requirements, including adherence to a voter-approved Urban
Limit Line (ULL). The cities and the county must comply with all
GMP provisions in order to be eligible to receive funding for
local streets & roads (18% of the measure) and the TLC smart
growth incentive program (5%). While this program has the
potential to break new ground and draw a tighter link between
transportation funding and land use planning, TALC has some
reservations about the program, as outlined below. For details
on the GMP, see
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_msrc/msrc_final.html
TALC's Reservations About Measure J
While there is much to applaud in
Measure J, TALC’s Board of Directors also voiced some
reservations.
The small amount of funding
specifically dedicated to pedestrian and bicycle improvements
falls far short of the needs documented in the Countywide
Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. We hope some TLC projects will meet
some of these needs, we urge CCTA to support regional funding to
address these needs, and we urge CCTA and local jurisdictions to
take every opportunity to apply for relevant regional, state,
and federal funding. Further, we will work with our allies to
hold CCTA and local jurisdictions accountable to the measure’s
commitment to incorporate “routine accommodation” of bicycle and
pedestrian travel in all construction projects.
TALC has two main reservations about the Growth Management
Program.
One reservation is that the GMP does not do enough to encourage
affordable housing. The GMP allows cities to comply by
subjectively “illustrating” how their policies facilitate needed
housing, rather than judging compliance based on objective
numerical goals.
Our strongest reservation is that when voters go to the polls in
November, several specifics about the most important component
of the GMP, the Urban Limit Line, will still be unknown. TALC’s
endorsement of Measure J, while the location of the future ULL
remains undefined, reflects our expectation that Contra Costa's
current and future leaders will heed the public's call for
smarter planning. Contra Costa’s leaders need to develop a new
ULL that meets the following conditions:
1. The new ULL’s location conforms closely to the existing
county ULL.
2. New ULL policies ensure that rural land outside the ULL
remains rural.
3. The new ULL contains extremely rigorous criteria for moving
or changing the ULL.
We will work with our allies to engage Contra Costa residents in
the development of the new ULL, and we hope to support the
resulting measure that must go on the ballot by 2006. We are
also resolved that if this process develops a weak ULL, we will
work with our allies to defeat it. A weak ULL would not only put
the county’s remaining open space in jeopardy, it would also
waste the taxpayer’s investments in Measure J. Additional
suburban sprawl would put more traffic on the county's roads,
increase the already-heavy burden on local government, and
reduce the county’s quality of life.
Finally, many TALC member groups have expressed concerns about
the measure’s highway projects, such as the Caldecott Tunnel and
expansion of Highway 4 in East County. But funding for
mixed-flow highway projects (that is, not HOV lanes) amounts to
only 17% of the measure, almost exactly the same as the 16% in
Alameda County’s Measure B, which was unanimously supported by
TALC member groups. TALC’s concerns about the environmental and
social costs of highway expansion have not abated, but we must
look at the total package, and the total package deserves our
support.
For TALC’s detailed analysis of the entire Measure J package,
see
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_msrc/msrc_final.html
Weighing the Options
In making a decision about whether
to endorse any measure, we must consider the alternative. What
would be likely to happen if Measure J fails? The transportation
authority will develop a new plan for the 2006 or 2008
ballot. As congestion increases, the pressure for highway
improvements is likely to increase. A future sales tax measure
would still include funding for the Caldecott Tunnel and
expansion of Highway 4 in East County, two projects that receive
strong support in opinion polls. During the negotiations over a
future measure, therefore, the question in play would be whether
the programs we support would still be in the measure and at
what levels. TALC members and allies could end up spending the
next two to four years struggling over the sales tax plan, just
to end up with a package that was similar or had fewer of the
programs we support.
On balance, the TALC Board concluded that the advantages of
Measure J significantly outweigh the disadvantages. The final
measure will improve transit and smart growth in the county and
includes some programs that should set a good example for other
counties around the state. Measure J deserves support by TALC
and its member groups.
Implications of TALC Endorsement
It is important to be clear about
what TALC’s endorsement does and does not mean. This is an
endorsement by the Transportation and Land Use Coalition as a
whole. It does not imply any position on the part of any of our
member groups, including groups represented on our Board of
Directors. We will act swiftly and publicly to correct any
misrepresentation in the press, campaign literature, or other
venues.
Stay Involved
We are pleased to recommend
that Contra Costa's voters say “Yes” on J for better transit and
smart growth. For the official “Yes on J” website, see
www.yesonmeasurej.org
For additional ideas on what you can do to support Measure J,
click here
This has been a long process, and we know that it will not end
with the vote on November 2. TALC member groups and allies must
stay active in discussions over transportation and growth
planning in the county. For more information about the Urban
Limit Line process or other issues, contact Jeff Hobson at (510)
740-3102 or
jeff@transcoalition.org
|
