This is a follow-up to Shoreline
Advocates' March 7, 2016 meeting with briefings on upcoming ballot issues.
Our next meeting will
tentatively be Monday, Oct. 17, 10 AM -12:30 AM at Berkeley's Shorebird
Nature Center. Stay tuned!
1. Measure AA in June:
I'm sure you all know
that the Measure AA $12/year parcel tax for Bay restoration is on the June 7
primary ballot. The measure needs 2/3 approval to pass.
Below (blue block) is text that can be adapted to support the
measure. Many groups, including Audubon and the League of Women
Voters, have short support messages on their web sites that could be
paraphrased.
2. No constitutional amendment for stormwater in November:
Mitch Avalon, retired
head of Contra Costa flood control, now working as a consultant, sent along
the news that due to unpromising polling, the November ballot will not
include a Constitutional Amendment to (a) allow local government raise
stormwater fees without a vote, the treatment now given sewer fees, and (b)
allow higher water rates for big water users, in order to encourage
conservation.
This leaves local government on the hook for
urban-runoff costs, which have been greatly increased by state and federal
mandates and are likely to balloon as infrastructure ages and global warming
continues. It also means that it will remain difficult to use fees to
discourage water wasting during drought.
Below (last block,
white background) is full information from the groups backing the proposed
amendment.
Thanks for reading!
Please share this blog post with others you think may be interested!
Susan Schwartz,
Friends of Five Creeks, f5creeks{at}gmail{dot}com
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Here is information
that can be used or paraphrased to support Measure AA (thanks to Amanda Brown-Stevens of Trust for
Public Land)
[I am/Organization]
endorsing/es Measure AA, the measure to protect and restore the
San Francisco Bay for future generations. Measure AA, the San Francisco
Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention, and Habitat Restoration Program
is on the June 7, 2016 ballot. This measure is crucial to protecting the
Bay and the region's economy. If approved by voters, this measure
would improve the Bay for people and wildlife, while strengthening our
economy and preparation for climate change. Measure AA would restore
thousands of acres of tidal marsh to:
More wetlands will
improve the Bay by filtering out pollution for cleaner water;
increasing habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife; expanding Bay
trails and shoreline access; and protecting low-lying communities and
critical infrastructure from floods. The Bay is challenged by pollution,
climate change, and other threats, and needs 100,000 acres of wetlands to
be healthy and sustainable. More than 30,000 shoreline acres are already
awaiting restoration, but the missing piece is funding. This measure
will generate $500 million for critically important projects, and will
help our region leverage even more state and federal funding.
We want our children
to inherit a clean and healthy San Francisco Bay – one that will be part
of their lives the way it is part of ours – we need to act now to clean
it up and restore it. The San Francisco Bay Area is a uniquely desirable
place to live and work, and San Francisco Bay itself is central to it –
a touchstone of our region’s identity and a major reason for our strong
economy and excellent quality of life. Measure AA would complete Bay
restoration and shoreline protection projects to ensure that it will
remain healthy, beautiful, and resilient for future generations.
The San Francisco Bay
is the heart of our region, and its health is central to our economy and
our quality of life. Yet, if left unchecked, the increasing flood risks
facing the Bay Area could cause major damage and severely cripple the
region's thriving economy. Sea level rise and increasing storm activity
due to climate change coupled with an aging levee system and reduced
wetlands have made the Bay Area vulnerable to devastating flood events.
Compounding the threat, much of the region's vital infrastructure is
located at or below sea level, including airports, hospitals, water
treatment plants and many miles of area highways. An estimated $10.4 billion
in damages is at stake.
This measure would
establish a modest $12 parcel tax (just $1/month) on all property owners
in all nine Bay Area counties. A two-thirds vote, Bay Area wide, is
required to pass it. If successful, the measure would raise $500 million
over 20 years to help fund restoration of more than 15,000 acres of wetlands
and tidal marsh.
Please make sure you
look for MEASURE AA on your ballot, and VOTE YES! This is a
historic opportunity
to make a difference, and protect and restore our Bay!
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Stormwater
Initiative: April, 2016 Status
On December 14, 2015,
the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), the League of California
Cities (the League) and the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA)
filed a proposed Constitutional amendment with the Attorney General (AG),
titled “The California Water Conservation, Flood Control and Stormwater
Management Act of 2016”. The proposed ballot measure would have amended
Article X of the California Constitution to create a new, optional funding
method that local agencies could use to fund local stormwater services and
flood control projects, and establish conservation-based water rates or
lifeline rates to assist low-income customers. The proposal ensured
that any local agency that utilized the optional funding method would be
required to adhere to strict accountability, transparency and ratepayer
protections.
The Title and Summary,
issued by the AG on February 18, 2016, can be found on the AG website as
Initiative 15-116. This is the language that would be printed on the
ballot for a statewide election. While the wording is very close to
what was filed with the AG, the first sentence was viewed as potentially
detrimental to passing the ballot measure. It describes the optional
funding procedure as one that allows local government to impose fees “without
voter approval.” The League, CSAC, and ACWA conducted follow-up polling
on the Title and Summary to obtain a more thorough picture of voter
sentiment. The polling results showed the Title and Summary would fail to get
majority support and opposition exceeded support. In addition,
while strong support was expressed for rate payer protections and
conservation pricing provisions, the phrase “without voter approval”
overshadowed these positively viewed elements. The polling results also
demonstrated that any funded opposition would have a strong influence on
voters’ reaction to the ballot measure.
On a more positive note,
the polling results showed that voters believe local governments need
additional funds to address stormwater and water-related issues. Voter
support was also expressed for many of the ballot measure’s objectives – to
protect water quality, upgrade aging infrastructure, increase conservation
and implement lifeline pricing.
The polling consultant
concluded that passing the current ballot measure would be exceedingly
difficult even with a superior funding advantage. As a result, CSAC,
the League, and ACWA decided to not move forward with the proposed ballot
measure in 2016. However, everyone agrees there is a great need for the
ballot measure, as the need for sustainable funding for stormwater services
and the need for conservation is going to continue to grow. Between now
and the next opportunity to place the ballot measure on a ballot, we all must
do what we can to inform the public and elected officials why this is
important.
CSAC, the League, and
ACWA will continue the dialogue with each other, the larger coalition that
had been working on the ballot measure, and their respective members
regarding other viable options and strategies that build on positive elements
of the polling and prepare ourselves for the next opportunity to pass the
ballot measure.
For more information
please contact Karen Keene, California State Association of Counties at
916-327-7500 (ext. 511), or Mitch Avalon, County Engineers Association of
California at 925-313-2203, or go to the project website at www.cccounty.us/stormwaterinitiative.
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