Along with the weather, the November 2010 election is starting to heat up and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition is urging your support for several State and County ballot propositions/measures. As a 501(c)(3), the EBBC is allowed to take a position on legislation, but is not allowed to endorse candidates for office. At our August board meeting, our Board of Directors discussed and approved taking a position on the following voter initiatives.
Vote Yes: County Vehicle Registration Fee for Local Streets & Roads
Measure F in Alameda County; Measure O in Contra Costa County. Both the Boards of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the Alameda County Transportation Commission approved placing on the November ballot a $10 County Vehicle Registration Fee to fund improvements for local streets and roads, transit and bicycle/pedestrian safety. Both Counties included “Complete Streets” language in their ballot measures, thanks to the work of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and our partners at Transform and Save Mount Diablo. For these reasons, EBBC is supporting the County Vehicle Registration Fees for Local Streets & Roads.
Vote Yes: Proposition 21: State Vehicle License Fee for Parks
The measure is a proposal to increase vehicle license fees in the state by $18 a year in order to raise about $500 million a year in a dedicated fund for the state’s 278 parks. Many useful and popular bikeways run through our local state parks, including the East Shore State Park, the Benicia State Recreation Area, and Mt. Diablo State Park. For these reason, EBBC supports Proposition 21.
Vote No: Proposition 23: Suspension of AB 32
Why Californians Must Crush Prop 23 [Huffington Post: September 25, 2010]
If it passes, this Proposition will suspend AB 32, a law enacted in 2006 that is sometimes referred to as the Global Warming Solutions Act. In their campaigns for and against Proposition 23, supporters and opponents have each adopted nicknames for the measure that clarify what they think of it. Supporters call Proposition 23 the California Jobs Initiative and opponents call it the Dirty Energy Proposition. The goal of the potential November initiative is to freeze the provisions of AB 32 until California’s unemployment rate drops to 5.5% or below for four consecutive quarters, a rarity. AB 32 requires that greenhouse emission levels in the state be cut to 1990 levels by 2020, in a gradual process of cutting that is slated to begin in 2012. Currently, the Bay Area is setting targets for GHG emissions and developing Sustainable Communities Strategies, all because of AB 32. This important work could be derailed if Proposition 23 passes. Vote No on Proposition 23.
Read the September 19 article in the New York Times: A Threat to California’s Climate Change Progress
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Election updates will be provided on our website in October, including more details on the $10 vehicle registration fee for local roads. Your Bicycle Coalition is urging your support of this measure, as it is going to jump-start our goal of having all projects, regardless of what the project is, improve your bike commute.
Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters
Alameda County Registrar of Voters
Return to our Candidate Questionnaires
thank you’s go out to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for allowing us to use their really cool “I Bike, I Vote” logo.
