Hi, I’m Bruce Hagen! You may remember me from such famous
columns as “Pot Holes: Low Cost Speed Bumps” (column #63, where I suggest
*slowing down* as an alternative to fixing certain streets), and “Rally Around
the Pothole” (#99, where I decry the “potholy war” to unseat environmentalist
City Council members in the last election.) I regularly rail (heh heh) against
the car worship that is a leading contributor to the destruction of our
biosphere. So how do you suppose I plan to vote next Tuesday on Measures C and
D, Petaluma’s street repair tax?
If you guessed “no”, guess again. I’m not only voting for
it, I’m endorsing it. Why? While I still think potholes were used as a
political football, and that we need to do *much more* to reduce automobile
use, two essential facts remain. First, our streets are in bad shape and need
attention now. The eventual fix will be *more* expensive if we continue to
delay. It’s like my recent house painting. I avoided repainting as long as I
could, but I wasn’t willing to risk having to replace the siding, or worse.
Second, there’s not enough money now to do the job. Since
the economy tanked, the City has been through several rounds of belt
tightening. As a Parks Commissioner for six years, I’ve seen City staff get
very creative in doing more with less. They have even increased fees for
services, to take the burden off the General Fund. But they are still stretched
thin—cutting their budget will cut services at a time when citizens are asking
for more (e.g. extended hours for the swim center. By the way, we stopped
asking for City funding for Lafferty two years ago.)
Understandably, no one seriously suggests a 10%
across-the-board cut, laying off 12 police officers and 9 firefighters. How
about running the sewage treatment plant every other day? Uh-uh. No, to pull
that kind of money out of the budget would mean huge cuts in everyday services,
like shutting down recreation programs and parks, and increasing the delay for
getting building permits. Redevelopment funds can’t be used for street
maintenance, and are critical to the economic revival that will bring in more
revenue.
Support for Measures C & D is coming not only from the
police and firefighter organizations, but from across the political spectrum.
The Chamber of Commerce and environmentalist former Council members David
Keller and Matt Maguire, Council member progressive Pam Torliat, centrist Mike
Healy, and conservative Mike Harris-- even Argus Columnists Hagen and Balshaw!—have
endorsed the measures. Much credit for this broad support goes to the Citizens
Advisory Committee on Streets (CACS). By eliminating the “gold plating”, they
reduced the projected repair cost by nearly $100 million (so it’s not a gold
mine for paving contractors.) Their meticulous evaluation of the funding
options led to the narrowly drawn utility tax that’s on the ballot.
So where are the leaders of the “Pothole Patrol”, Bryant
Moynihan, Pierre Miremont, and Animal? Why aren’t we seeing “Yes on C & D”
trailing from an airplane and spray-painted on cratered streets? Why haven’t
they published a *viable* alternative funding plan (Sacramento and Washington
are planning to *cut*, not increase, funding to cities.)
Former Council member Janice Cader-Thompson claims the
proposal has loopholes allowing businesses to avoid paying their fair share. I
don’t agree. Businesses will be paying more than half the tax revenues. The
business tax cap is set very high, and is there to protect our energy-intensive
farm industries. While she’s right to be wary of what politicians might do for
their campaign contributors, I think the City Council can be held accountable
for fair administration of the tax measure.
I recommend voting yes on C & D, and more. The CACS should
be kept intact to help prioritize projects and report on progress. We need to
aggressively pursue traffic calming measures, so smooth streets don’t become
smooth speedways. We need to make it easier for people to avoid driving. And,
as always, we need Federal, State and City campaign finance reform, *with
public financing*, to preserve our democracy.