March Election Wrap-Up
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March Election Wrap-Up |
Greenbelt Alliance
* The Newswire
Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2004
Of the ten ballot measures that Greenbelt Alliance took a position on for the
March 2004 election, six went our way.
Regional Measures: Greenbelt Alliance endorsed Regional Measure 2, which will
raise the toll on the Bay Area’s state owned bridges from $2 to $3. It
is estimated that this measure will raise $125 million per year. Ninety two percent
of this money is earmarked for transit projects and transit operations. Regional
Measure 2 was passed by Bay Area voters.
Napa County: Greenbelt Alliance supported Measure P, which would affirm a county
stream set back ordinance that was referended by property rights advocates. Measure
P failed by a margin of 65 percent to 35 percent. We opposed a related Measure,
Measure O, which would have established stricter setbacks and other land use
regulations in the name of forest and water protection. Greenbelt Alliance was
concerned that the strict nature of Measure O’s policies would have negatively
impacted Napa’s agriculture industry, and it failed by a margin of 73 percent
to 27 percent.
Also in Napa County, we opposed three measures – Measures Q, R, and S – that
would have provided exemptions to Measure J, Napa’s countywide agricultural
protection measure that was first passed in 1990. All three measures failed with
none receiving more the 44 percent of the vote.
Contra Costa County: Greenbelt Alliance endorsed Measure M, an advisory vote
on establishing a redevelopment district in Martinez. Despite substantial opposition
from NIMBYs and citizens concerned about the redevelopment district’s potential
power of eminent domain, Measure M passed by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent.
Also in Contra Costa County, Greenbelt Alliance opposed Measure N, an advisory
measure to expand Los Vaqueros Reservoir and flood 2,600 acres of open space.
The Contra Costa Water District and other proponents of the dam’s expansion
outspent Measure N’s opponents by a four to one margin. Measure N passed
by a margin of 62 percent to 38 percent.
Greenbelt Alliance endorsed Measure L, the county ordinance banning big box super
centers on unincorporated land that was referended by Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart outspent
Measure L’s proponents by a margin of at least two to one. Measure L failed
by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent.
State Measures: Greenbelt Alliance only took a position on one statewide measure,
Proposition 56, which we endorsed. Proposition 56 would have lowered the legislative
vote threshold to pass budgets and tax measures from two-thirds to 55 percent.
Lowering the budget threshold would have made it more likely that land conservation
and smart growth policies would be funded in the budget. Also, lowering the threshold
would increase the likelihood that that future state budgets would be completed
earlier in the year, giving cities and counties certainty about state funding
and reducing the incentive for municipalities to pursue sprawling, sales tax
generating, land uses like big box stores. The measure failed by a 66 percent
to 34 percent margin.