NO on Measure C
Measure C is the second of three measures placed on the November ballot by the VTA. A “yes” vote on Measure C pre-approves a transit plan that has not been analyzed or approved by the VTA Board.
VTA placed Measure C on the ballot to fulfill a legal requirement that it place an advisory vote on its comprehensive transit plan on the ballot every six years. This time, however, VTA doesn’t have a completed comprehensive transit plan to present to voters. Because VTA doesn’t have a plan, they changed the Measure C ballot language to ask voters to approve a plan that is “to be adopted by” the VTA, after the election.
Vote NO on Measure C. Don’t rubber stamp a phantom plan. Insist on a real plan with real numbers.
Amazingly, VTA cancelled its September and October board workshops instead of working on completing a plan. VTA’s inability to get the job done these past several years, was the prime reason why they changed the ballot language to read “to be adopted by” instead of “as adopted on”. VTA hasn’t developed a usable financial plan to guide its public transit investments since at least the year 2000.
VTA has been delaying the plan because publishing such a plan could sink support for Measure B. It would show that a) VTA still could not deliver the BART train to Fremont, even if Measure B passed and, b) that the financial burdens of the BART project would devastate our county transit, unless voters approved much higher taxes for transit at future elections.
In the eight years since the 2000 Measure A tax passed, VTA has not once shown how they could deliver the BART project, even if they cut out all other transit projects. VTA’s former CFO, Scott Buhrer, left the agency after telling the truth about this, along with his wife, Lisa Ives, who was VTA’s lead manager for the BART project.
The July 2008 California State Audit of VTA noted,
“VTA has been operating without a comprehensive strategic plan since 2006.” The plan that VTA adopted in 2006 relied on a quarter percent sales tax increase that was never presented to or adopted by voters. That plan was also based on outdated financial data on the cost to build BART. In fact, VTA staff is withholding the updated cost data from the VTA Board and from you.
Why would an agency asks voters to approve a plan that isn’t finished yet? They’ve known for years that they needed to submit a finished plan this year.
What projects will be cut? What new taxes will we have to vote on? No one knows, because VTA isn’t telling us. However, we know from its last plan that VTA needs at least a new 1/4 percent sales tax (twice the amount that Measure B would provide) in order to keep the promises VTA made eight years ago.
VTA has no plan ready for anyone to read, but they want you to approve, in advance, whatever they would adopt in December. They can promise you everything under the sun today, but they know it’s a promise that they can’t keep tomorrow.
Demand honesty and accountability from VTA. Vote NO on Measure C !!!