We did it–Alameda County voters said Yes on BB. With over 70% support, our fellow commuters are ready to invest in a much better transportation system.
Starting April 1, 2015, Measure BB’s substantial increase in funds for walking & bicycling will provide the resouces needed for cities to redesign your streets and create new attractive bikeways throughout the county. While this is splendid news, it also means our advocacy work needs to substantially increase in order to build political will at the local level for redesigned streets. We need you to substantially continue your support of this hard work.
Many many thanks to many awesome volunteers and partners and to the Yes On BB Campaign staff. You pulled out all the stops for better bicycling in Alameda County. In the 4 days leading up to November 4, you hung over 15,000 ‘Yes on BB’ door hangers and called over 12,000 voters to get out the vote. Your efforts were effective, as pre-vote polling showed only 64% support for BB. We asked for your help to raise these numbers and you responded. The campaign couldn’t have done it without you.
Special shout outs to the volunteers who by day labor at the Alameda County Transportation Commission, and the hardworking teams at Genesis, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Transform and Laborers 304 whose efforts were second to none. This campaign also brought together an unprecedented alliance of labor, environmental, business and faith-based groups all working side by side to pass Measure BB.
We were proud to partner with the Sierra Club, California Alliance for Jobs, Alameda County Labor Council, Greenbelt Alliance, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Transport Oakland, League of Conservation Voters, and many more in passing this groundbreaking measure. And we look forward to continuing to work with this broad coalition to reauthorize Contra Costa County’s Measure J in 2016.
And elected officials were on board in unanimity this time. Congressmembers Barbara Lee, Eric Swalwell and Mike Honda carried the Yes on BB message to their supporters, as did so many others. Without their active engagement, passing voter approved ballot measures is extremely difficult.
With Measure BB’s passage we believe that Alameda County will have the highest level of per capita investment in active transportation in the nation, starting to approach levels of some northern European countries. We are proud to be part of this milestone of an election and hope you are excited to start putting this money to work for better streets in your neighborhood.
They came to celebrate with us at Biketopia on November 13 at Oakland’s Impact HUB, and raise a glass to a new era of better bicycling in the East Bay. Thank you voters of Alameda County!
For interesting analysis of voter results by precinct throughout Alameda County, check out Danielle Dai’s meticulous work gathering data from the Registrar of Voters office. http://www.danielledai.com/measurebb.html
Measure BB in the News:
- ACTC: Measure BB Approved!
- San Jose Mercury News: Alameda County voters double transportation sales tax to full 1 percent
- SF Gate: Voters supporting Alameda County transportation tax
- SF Gate: Transportation measures in S.F., Alameda County win support
- The Daily Californian: Election 2014: Local ballot measures, state propositions
- Oakland North: Oakland campaigns celebrate election night, await results
- Contra Costa Times: San Leandro City Council will have diverse majority
- Progressive Railroading: Transit initiatives received ‘overwhelming support’ from voters, APTA says