League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Marin County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Measure S Desalination Voter Approval Requirements Marin Municipal Water District Majority Approval Required Pass: 54540 / 69.55% Yes votes ...... 23884 / 30.45% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure S

Arguments Against Measure S

Measure S directs the Marin Municipal Water District to obtain a majority vote from its customers prior to construction of a desalination plant or prior to seeking financing for construction of a desalination plant. Measure S does not forbid the water district from studying and evaluating the potential for a desalination plant as a possible future water supply option. It guarantees a public vote before a desalination plant could be built, while keeping our options open. Future water planning is an important part of MMWD's responsibilities. Under Measure S, the district will be allowed to continue to investigate, plan and study all water supply options, including a desalination plant, along with conservation, recycling, and other water supply and demand techniques. Marin's water supply is always tenuous and unstable, and it varies from year to year. It would be bad public policy, and risky to our water security, to forever deprive the community of any single potentially viable future water supply by forbidding the district from even analyzing or investigating any promising water option. Water districts around the Bay Area, throughout California, and around the world are recognizing technological advances made to the desalination process in recent years + and those advances will continue. Desalination should remain under consideration by MMWD because it has the potential to help stabilize our water supply, provide drought protection, and reduce pressure on streams and rivers that sustain fragile fish populations. It would be unwise for our community, at this point, to summarily deprive ourselves of the ability to analyze and evaluate this potentially valuable option. We must continue to study all viable water management strategies. To do anything less would not be responsible water planning. We strongly urge your SUPPORT of Measure S. s/JARED HUFFMAN Member of the California State Assembly, 6th District s/STEVE KINSEY Second Vice President, Marin County Board of Supervisors LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MARIN COUNTY s/Ann Batman, Vice President MARIN CONSERVATION LEAGUE s/Nona Dennis, President MARIN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT s/David Behar, President Rebuttal to Arguments For Measure S would give the Water Board a blank check to continue spending millions more on a costly $400 million desalination plant in San Rafael to convert polluted San Francisco Bay water into our drinking water. The Board has already spent $4-5 million on their desalination plant. They are proposing to spend millions more on the permitting process, before they even begin the construction phase. Measure S would allow the Board to spend these additional millions, then after spending these additional millions, hold a public vote on whether to finally construct the plant. Measure T, the next measure on the ballot, signed by over 15,000 Marin citizens, would require a public vote on the plant before additional millions are spent on the plant. Measure T is common sense. Do not be misled. Measures S and T are not about vague, future studies, but something specific: "On August 19, 2009, the District Board of Directors approved a desalination plant located at the Marin Rod & Gun Club pier in San Rafael. As approved, the plant's capacity will be five million gallons per day....The Board directed District staff to move forward with the permitting process for the desalination plant." (MMWD Staff Report, July 26, 2010). The MMWD desalination plant raises very serious health, environmental, global warming, and cost concerns. Millions have already been spent. It is time for a public vote before millions more are sunk into the desalination plant. Vote NO on S. Yes on T. s/LINDA PFEIFER Vice-Mayor of Sausalito s/PETER BARRY, M.D. Former Mayor of Ross, Ross Councilmember s/LARRY BRAGMAN Vice-Mayor of Fairfax and former mayor s/FORD GREENE Vice-Mayor of San Anselmo Town Council s/PAM HARTWELL-HERRERO Fairfax Council Member

We urge you to Vote NO on S, and Yes on T. Measure S gives the Water Board a BLANK CHECK to continue spending millions on a San Rafael desalination plant, before the public has a chance to vote on whether to pursue this plant. The Water Board has already spent $4-5 million on their desalination plant to convert San Francisco Bay water into our drinking water. The Water Board has proposed spending millions more on contractors, engineers and 11 different permits, before they even begin the construction phase. Measure S would allow them to spend these additional millions + before holding a public vote. Measure S is the "Vote After You Spend" measure. Measure S is not fiscally responsible. Measure S is a BLANK CHECK. The five incumbent Water Board members placed Measure S on the ballot, at the last minute, ahead of Measure T, the Citizens' Measure. Measure S is the Water Board's attempt to undermine the Citizen's Measure that over 15,000 rate - payers signed and placed on the ballot. Measure T, by contrast, requires the Board to hold a public vote on desalination before the Board spends millions more on this desalination plant. Measure T is the "Vote Before You Spend" measure. Measure T is fiscally responsible. Measure T is the CITIZENS' MEASURE. Measure T was placed on the ballot by you, the ratepayers. You wanted to vote on desalination before millions more are spent on it. Measure T gives you that vote. The citizens of Marin should be given the right to vote before millions more are spent on a desalination plant that could damage the environment and dramatically increase our energy use. Vote NO on S Vote YES on T s/PAUL HAWKEN Author, Environmentalist s/CARLA CONDON Mayor, Town of Corte Madera s/MARY ANN MAGGOIRE Former Mayor, Fairfax s/ESSIE BLAU, R.N. Former Director, Marin Healthcare District s/SURFRIDER FOUNDATION, Marin Chapter s/Loren Moore Rebuttal to Arguments Against Vote YES on Measure S. Vote NO on Measure T. Measure S is the ONLY responsible water policy measure on this ballot. Measure S guarantees a public vote before a desalination plant could be built or financed, while keeping our water supply options open. Under Measure S, MMWD would be allowed to explore issues and plan for a variety of water supply options. Measure S ensures that the public will have the last word about whether or not to proceed with desalination, but allows MMWD to answer critical questions about whether this improving technology should be considered for Marin in the future. Marin needs this flexibility, because its water supply is always tenuous and unstable, and varies from year to year. The District has no plans to spend millions of dollars on desalination, despite the claims of the opponents of Measure S. Last spring, MMWD ceased all spending on the desalination project because conservation and other factors had significantly reduced water demand. Measure S is NOT a blank check + should conditions change and MMWD considers desalination again, it guarantees voters the final say before any desalination plant could be built. Measure S stops proponents of Measure T from putting a "straitjacket" on MMWD, as they've stated is their goal. Future water planning is an important part of MMWD's responsibilities. Water districts must have the basic ability to plan and consider all viable water management strategies. To do anything less would be irresponsible. We strongly urge your SUPPORT of Measure S. s/JARED HUFFMAN Member of the California State Assembly, 6th District s/STEVE KINSEY Second Vice President, Marin County Board of Supervisors LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MARIN COUNTY s/Ann Batman, Vice President MARIN CONSERVATION LEAGUE s/Nona Dennis, President MARIN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT s/David Behar, President

Full Text of Measure S

The people of the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) do ordain as follows: Section 1. Purpose This ordinance requires that MMWD may construct a desalination facility to produce potable (drinking) water only if the voters approve that decision. Section 2. Policy MMWD shall not approve construction, or financing for construction, of a desalination facility unless such construction is approved by a majority of the voters of MMWD voting in an election held within MMWD's service area for that purpose. Section 3. Severability If any provision or provisions of this ordinance are found to be in conflict with California law or with the California Constitution, or with federal law, or with the United States Constitution, that provision shall be implemented to the maximum extent allowable by the limiting statute or constitutional provision. The people of MMWD hereby warrant and declare that they intended to vote for each and every provision of this measure independent of each other provision of this measure, and that any provision held invalid shall be severable from the remaining portions of this ordinance. Section 4. Competing Ballot Measure In the event that another measure ("competing measure") appears on the same election ballot for MMWD and addresses a subject matter that overlaps with the subject matter of this measure, the measures shall be deemed to be in conflict. If this measure receives a greater number of affirmative votes than the competing measure, the provisions of this measure shall prevail in their entirety, and the competing measure shall be null and void. The "Initiative to Require Voter Approval Before the Marin Municipal Water District Authorizes, Expends or Appropriates Any Revenue, or Plans, Permits, Engineers or Constructs a Desalination Facility to Augment Water Supplies for District Customers" is a competing measure. Section 5. Retroactive Application In the event that this measure is adopted by voters, its provisions shall apply retroactively to June 18, 2010.