Yesterday at polling places throughout the region, Bay Area residents continued 2014’s trend of voting for open space conservation and smart growth. Greenbelt Alliance endorsed positions on several ballot measures, and we won on all of them! These essential measures will make the Bay Area a better place to live, so thank you to everyone who voted. Below are the results of the ballot measures that we took a position on:
Bay Area Says YES to a Clean & Healthy Bay
Measure AA, which was on the ballot in all nine Bay Area counties and required a two-thirds supermajority to pass, won with 69% of the vote. This $12 annual parcel tax will invest $500 million over the next two decades toward restoring wetlands around the San Francisco Bay. Over 30,000 acres of shoreline will be eligible for projects funded by this measure.
Led by our friends at Save the Bay, Measure AA was endorsed by a huge coalition of environmental and business organizations, as well as elected officials and community leaders. Read more about why we endorsed Measure AA.
Santa Clara County Says YES on Parks
Meanwhile in Santa Clara County, Measure A won with a whopping 77% majority. This initiative, which is not a tax, renews the Park Charter Fund that provides essential resources for county’s public parks. As a result of this win, $57 million will be allocated toward protecting, preserving, and expanding over 50,000 acres of open space in Santa Clara County.
Read more about why we endorsed Measure A.
Richmond Says NO to Bad Development
According to unofficial election results, the City of Richmond voted to reject a proposal that would have undermined revitalization of its waterfront district by rejecting Measure N, which only garnered 34% approval. This result is a win for smart growth; the developer-drafted measure would have invalidated a community-developed plan to build 625 homes on the waterfront to allow the developer to pursue their own plan to build a smaller number of more expensive homes at the same site.
Richmond already has a great plan for creating a vibrant neighborhood around its new ferry terminal, and voters agreed. Read more about why we opposed Measure N.
Outside the spotlight of this year’s frenzied presidential election, we are thrilled that the Bay Area has once again voted for a region where our natural and agricultural lands are protected and everyone can live in a thriving neighborhood that they’re proud to call home.
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Photo: Thomas Hawk via Flickr
