With the election approaching, the conversation around San Jose’s Measure B and Measure C is moving faster than ever. To make it easier for our supporters to stay on top of this critical issue, we’re collecting the recent Measure B news and opinion pieces in one place for easy digestion. Read on to see what the publications, organizations, and individuals of San Jose have to say about why Measure B is bad for San Jose.
“Measure B, the Evergreen Senior Homes initiative on San Jose’s June ballot, is a scam.”—The Mercury News Editorial Board
San José Ballot Measure Would Rewrite the City’s General Plan for Development, to the Dismay of Open Space Advocates
Bay Nature | May 30, 2018
“Measure B offers no concrete assurances to veterans and its proposed changes for affordable housing would be weaker than what city law already requires.”
Op-Ed: Vote No on B, Yes on C To Protect the Environment
San Jose Inside | May 22, 2018
“Measure B (see Evergreen Homes Initiative: A Wolf in Grandma’s Clothing) is a blatant attempt by billionaire developers to do an end-run around environmental review and the crucial public processes we have in place.”
Fight over Proposed Evergreen Development Heats Up
San Jose Mercury News | May 18, 2018
“The company says about 20 percent of the homes would be affordable and that the development would provide badly needed housing for aging veterans.
But Mayor Sam Liccardo, the San Jose City Council, both the local Democratic and Republican parties, and a bevy of environmental and veterans groups strongly oppose the idea, calling it a misleading attempt to circumvent the system.”
Editorial: Campaign Hit on San Jose’s Measure C Is Outrageous
San Jose Mercury News | May 19, 2018
“The whole point of defeating the outrageous Measure B and supporting Measure C is to protect city revenue by reserving the land for job creation to build the city’s tax base. If all the land that could be developed if Measure B passes were removed from industry, it could create an annual $24.5 million deficit in San Jose’s budget.”
“Measure B’s passage would destroy our hillsides and open spaces, and burden our freeways with even more gridlock.”—Sam Liccardo, Mary Collins, and Tito Cortez
Don’t Fall for It, San Jose: Vote No on B and Yes on C!
The Daily Kos | May 11, 2018
“The fine print of Measure B shows that it will overrule the city’s General Plan not only for this project, but for each and every development proposal to come along in the future. That is, this does away with San Jose’s long-range plans, which were developed and hashed out over a period of years through more than 50 public meetings, and with input from more than 5,000 community participants, a 40-member task force of community members, and then unanimous approval of the City Council.”
Editorial: Protect San Jose’s Land; Vote ‘No’ on Measure B and ‘Yes’ on Measure C
San Jose Mercury News | May 3, 2018
“Vote no on Measure B, a measure promulgated by billionaire developers at the expense of San Jose’s taxpayers and environment.
And vote yes on Measure C, a measure sponsored by the mayor and city council that would retain some public voice in plans for open land at the city’s edge. Measure C would require fiscal and environmental review and, if housing is approved, require 50 percent to be affordable.”
Opinion: Why San Jose Voters Should Defeat Measure B, Support Measure C
San Jose Mercury News | April 28, 2018
“Beyond their misleading effort, the billionaires behind Measure B pose an ominous threat for our Valley’s future, because the measure overrides limits on sprawling development in our most environmentally sensitive areas, such as Coyote Valley and the South Almaden Reserve. Measure B’s passage would destroy our hillsides and open spaces, and burden our freeways with even more gridlock.”
Say No to Sprawl: No on Measure B, Yes on Measure C
Santa Clara Audubon Society | April 25, 2018
“The threat of industrial development has loomed over Coyote Valley for decades. Measure B accelerates this threat.”—Santa Clara Audubon Society
Evergreen Senior Homes Initiative: Vote No in June
SPUR | March 7, 2018
SPUR was founded in 1910 as an affordable housing organization. One of our core tenets is to “make it affordable to live in the Bay Area.”… “We are proponents of housing production. However, this initiative is not the right solution. SPUR prioritizes infill residential development within walking distance to transit, and we are committed to resourcing and building high-quality affordable housing”. … “The proposed measure undermines good planning and runs counter to these priorities by using the ballot box to make zoning decisions.”
Photo: Wesley Lee
