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Endorsements
Endorsements for the November 8, 2022 Election
Public health and our climate will benefit from investments in electric vehicles and wildfire prevention.
Catastrophic wildfires and transportation are largest contributors of climate-warming greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in California. As wildfires increase in size and frequency, their climate emissions are overwhelming the other significant emission reductions the state has achieved. Emissions from tailpipes and wildfires are some of the leading causes of unhealthy air Californians are breathing – California has eight of the U.S. cities with the worst air quality.
Prop 30 would increase state income tax by 1.75% on incomes over $2 million, which would raise between $3.5 and $5 billion annually. This new revenue would fund: construction of zero emission vehicle (ZEV) charging stations; grant programs for zero emission passenger cars, school buses, and transit buses; e-bikes and transit passes. The measure includes provisions specifying that half of the funds should provide ZEV access to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Prop 30 would also fund advanced wildfire detection and monitoring, home-hardening and community preparedness, and better forest management to reduce wildfire risk.
Prop 30 is supported by many environmental, business, and labor organizations and elected officials who agree that the state needs ongoing funding beyond current budgets to reduce catastrophic wildfires and transition quickly to ZEVs.
Reliable, equitable transit and better walking and biking infrastructure keep car pollution out of the Bay.
San Francisco residents, workers, and visitors make hundreds of thousands of trips on MUNI buses and trains per day. Without a reliable and robust transit system, those trips would be made by car, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and oil, gas, and particulate matter runoff into the Bay.
Prop L extends an existing ½ cent sales tax to ensure MUNI’s buses and trains, and the streets they run on, are maintained and functioning so residents can get where they need to go, without driving cars. Prop L will raise $2.6 billion over 30 years for transit maintenance, bike and pedestrian improvements, traffic calming projects, paratransit, and major projects like the downtown Caltrain extension, engaging low-income communities in project planning.
This expenditure plan was created by a committee of community stakeholders, who ensured that revenues raised will prioritize support for the mobility and safety needs of low income communities and communities of color. Investing in our public transit system benefits the climate and the Bay.
Funding for affordable housing, complete streets that support walking and biking, and other investments in city infrastructure improve quality of life in Oakland.
Oakland’s shortage of affordable housing is a major contributor to our climate emergency that worsens inequity. Affordable housing close to jobs and transit is essential for addressing homelessness, reducing driving, and protecting the Bay from runoff and pollution. Making Oakland’s streets more welcoming for pedestrians, cyclists, and users of all abilities will reduce reliance on polluting cars. Updating aging city infrastructure like storm drains and city facilities helps to ensure that Oakland’s most vulnerable residents and neighborhoods are protected from extreme weather events and other climate impacts.
Measure U will provide $350 million to improve or build new affordable housing, $290 million to maintain and improve the city’s streets and transit infrastructure, $165 million for city facilities like libraries, and $45 million for parks and green stormwater infrastructure.
This bond is a people-centered approach to protecting the Bay from pollution and climate threats and providing more affordable housing.
Retain city process to approve required multi-family housing.
Access to affordable housing remains extremely challenging in the Bay Area, and Menlo Park is no exception. Like all cities across the state, Menlo Park must construct an ambitious amount of new housing. 2,946 units by 2030, to address the statewide housing shortage. Meeting these goals will require the construction of apartments and other multi-family dwellings, and thoughtful re-zoning of our cities to accommodate this growth.
Some Menlo Park residents claim they want to preserve the suburban character of their neighborhoods through Measure V, which would prohibit Menlo Park’s City Council from re-zoning single-family home properties unless a majority of city voters approve each re-zoned property. Measure V would make it much more difficult for Menlo Park to meet state housing goals, and provide affordable housing for teachers and other essential workers. Measure V would create an exclusionary housing policy that disproportionately impacts low income families and communities of color. Approving this measure also undermines efforts to reduce long commutes and car emissions that worsen climate change. Several Menlo Park City Council members are opposed to this measure, as are state politicians and a wide variety of nonprofits and service organizations across San Mateo County.