League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sonoma County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Measure W Vehicle Fee Sonoma County Transportation Authority District Majority Approval Required Fail: 73,997 / 43.0% Yes votes ...... 97,944 / 57.0% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure W

Arguments Against Measure W

Vote Yes on Measure W to relieve traffic congestion and create local jobs. Measure W will provide funding to repair ailing roads and fill potholes in Sonoma County. Sonoma County has some of the worst roads in the state and this local revenue will stay in Sonoma County to fix our roads. Vote Yes on Measure W to fund transportation for senior citizens. Measure W will help fund para-transit programs giving our elders the ability to live in the community with dignity. Vote Yes on Measure W to provide Safe Routes to Schools. Measure W will fund programs that help children travel safely to school. Our children go to school to learn, but too many of them face dangerous and even sometimes deadly trips to school. Measure W will help get children to school in a safer manner. Vote Yes on Measure W to preserve and expand bus service in Sonoma County. MeasureW will provide needed funding to keep buses running and expand routes including commuter service to help get cars off the road and relieve traffic during some of the worst traffic time periods of the day. We support MeasureWbecause it will provide much needed local funding for critical projects, programs and it will help our local economy. The best part of Measure W is the money can't be taken away by Sacramento. Every dollar of Measure W money that is dedicated to programs in Sonoma County will stay in Sonoma County. Please Vote Yes on November 2nd to fix our roads and keep our county moving. s/ Noreen Evans State Assemblymember s/ Gary L. Wysocky, Vice Mayor Santa Rosa City Council NORTH BAY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL s/ Cynthia Murray, CEO s/ Shirlee Zane Sonoma County Supervisor, 3rd District s/ Kellie Noe, Trustee West Sonoma County Union High School District Rebuttal to Arguments For Don't be fooled by the misleading ballot argument in favor of Measure W. The list of so called benefits is nothing less than typical political pandering. It promises additional spending for projects that you are already paying a sales tax for through the passage of Measure M. The proponents of Measure W don't even bother to explain why they need more money so soon after the voters approved Measure M just six years ago. The provision to allocate funds for potholes only arose after a special interest group did some poling that showed little interest by voters in the bike or bus projects. Again, Measure M had sales tax money set aside for pothole repairs. Buses are running at a fraction of their capacity and yet the County wants more buses. Non governmental organizations are doing a great job of providing transportation services to seniors. The proponents indicate the best part of this Measure W is the money can't be taken by Sacramento. What they don't tell you is with the passage of State Proposition 22 this fall, Sacramento will not be able to take transportation funding away from local governments. It is particularly interesting to note that the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Sonoma County Transportation Authority advised against this measure, but the County went ahead with it anyway. What is being proposed is a permanent new tax to deal with a temporary revenue problem. Voters should see through this charade and vote no on Measure W. SONOMA COUNTY TAXPAYERS' ASSOCIATION s/ Jack Atkin, President s/ Fred Levin, Executive Director

When is enough, enough? Voters passed Measure M, a quarter cent sales tax, to increase funds for transportation as recently as 2004. Now, a mere 6 years later they're back asking for more, and in the midst of recession of historic proportions that finds families and business across the county struggling with their own budgets. What's being proposed here is a permanent new tax, to deal with a temporary problem. True, revenues for transportation projects that flow from sales tax receipts and from the State and Federal governments may be reduced now due to the recession, but that will pass when the economy recovers. The Sonoma County Transportation Authority tries to justify this ill conceived tax by earmarking most of the funds for bicycle and walking paths, bus transit and of late pothole repairs.We would hardly argue that these transportation activities are not a good thing, but the real question to ask ourselves, is this the time to further burden motor vehicle owners with an additional tax that has no expiration date? Here is a fact to think about. The Sonoma County Transportation Authority's Citizen Advisory Committee voted not to place this Measure on the ballot. Apparently the committee's recommendation was ignored by the powers that be. The Sonoma County Taxpayers' Association recommends a no vote on Measure W. SONOMA COUNTY TAXPAYERS' ASSOCIATION s/ Jack Atkin, President s/ Fred Levin, Executive Director Rebuttal to Arguments Against Voting Yes on Measure W means investing locally in efficient, accessible, green transportation solutions for all Sonoma County residents, whether you drive, ride public transit, travel by bike, walk or use some combination. Voting Yes on Measure W means not relying on the state to meet our most urgent transportation needs. Our local Sonoma County Transportation Authority has a proven record of success in using our transportation dollars wisely on the projects that are most important to us and provide the greatest value. The previous measure approved by voters --Measure M in 2004-- allowed us to dramatically improve our quality of transportation. This measure widened and improved Highway 101, including upgrading interchanges up and down the County. It improved and maintained local streets and roads, and supported transportation programs for seniors and the disabled. The record is clear: Local funding has positively transformed how we get to work and school, and how we visit family and friends. Measure W will continue our record of success -- following a transparent process, revenue from Measure W will stay in Sonoma County and be used for our local priorities. Please join us and Vote Yes on MeasureWto ensure we can continue to meet our local transportation needs and priorities by reducing traffic congestion and getting you where you need to go. s/ Valerie Brown, Supervisor County of Sonoma SONOMA COUNTY CONSERVATION ACTION s/ Ken Wells, Chair CLIMATE PROTECTION CAMPAIGN s/ Ann Hancock, Executive Director s/ Lisa Wittke Schaffner, Executive Director Sonoma County Alliance SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, LOCAL 1021 s/ Bill Steck, Director