A million here, a million there—pretty soon you’re talking real money. The fight to prove the SMART train is just that is under way again. The 20-year sales tax increase to fund the $540 million construction costs is on the November ballot. Should the tax plan pass this time, the train would roll in to a station near you in 2014.
The campaign to put a commuter rail system in place between Cloverdale and Larkspur looks different than the last go ‘round. This is good news for those behind the proposed commuter train. In 2006, the vote went off the tracks in Marin, picking up only 57 percent, well short of the required 66.6 percent for passage of a sales tax measure. Most of the problem with SMART’s campaign two years ago stemmed from the fact it was mostly a secret. The race to put a train on the track in Marin was so far under the radar it was “below grade,” as they say in the railroad business. And as they say in the education business, that grade wasn’t passing.
Grass roots campaigns are charming and have proved effective in Marin over the years. But at some point in an effort to get John and Mary Public to OK a tax hike, it becomes important that the effort isn’t so stealthy that much of the electorate doesn’t know you’re stumping. It’s an especially poor idea when you’re coming hat in hand to ask voters to raise taxes on themselves. To be fair, Barnes Mosher Whitehurst Lauter & Partners, a political consulting firm out of San Francisco, didn’t have much in the way of resources to mount a persuasive run. If memory serves, only one mailer hyping the train was sent out. On the other hand, solid political strategy says never ask the voters for cash unless you have enough in your own pocket to convince them to willingly part with their money. And that can’t be laid at the feet of Whitehurst, et al.
Cynthia Murray, the former Marin supervisor and current CEO of the North Bay Leadership Council, is determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. She’s a co-chair of the North Bay Transportation Alliance, the political body created to run the 2008 campaign. Murray is a seasoned politico, having worked for Santa Rosa political guru Herb Williams at Delphi Team. She says the effort to pass the train tax measure has been under way for 20 months, long before the decision to put the measure on the ballot was made this past July.
The alliance fundraising email was in cyberspace a mere three days after the SMART board voted to place the tax measure on the November ballot. The campaign coffers had $55,000 before the ballot announcement was made, with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce pitching in $5,000 and Novato Community Hospital-Sutter Marin adding an equal amount.
The alliance is counting on a broad base coalition of labor, environmental interests, business large and small and nonprofits to win the fight for the hearts and minds of the voters. A poll taken in May of this year by Godbe Research showed voters in Marin now back the train to the tune of 71 percent, with support in Sonoma growing to 83 percent. The poll was released in July to soften the ground for the ballot announcement.
There are a few other things that are different since the dismal effort in 2006. Gas prices have skyrocketed, congestion on Highway 101 is worse and awareness of the greenhouse gas crisis is more widely accepted. The folks at SMART have also added weekend service, which should appeal to voters who might want to take the train from Marin to Wine Country on a Sunday. And a stop at Hamilton has been added. SMART also hired Tramutola out of Oakland to run this campaign. The agency’s bread and butter is sales tax campaigns, and it knows Marin, having run school tax races in Larkspur, Novato and Mill Valley.
One thing that hasn’t changed is, the train system is certain to face a vocal opposition. Marin Citizens for Effective Transportation, led by Mike Arnold, will no doubt mount another high-profile effort to keep the train off the tracks. In the past, Arnold and company have successfully pointed to the probable ridership numbers as well as financial projections to win enough votes to doom the campaign in combination with a weak effort by SMART.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
What do the Department of Homeland Security and Pacific Star Capital LLC have in common? Seems the folks who make airport travel so pleasant and the Los Angeles developer both had interest in the same piece of land in Novato—but for very different reasons.
The good people at Homeland Security included the 19-acre Hanna Ranch on its March 6 Open Source Infrastructure Report because a 55-gallon drum of toxic chemicals was found abandoned on the property situated near the Highway 101/Highway 37 interchange. A Fish and Game official found the drum, which was hauled away by a hazmat crew. On the other hand, Pacific Star bought the property for an estimated $8.5 million for an undefined development.
The land, which is near the Vintage Oaks Shopping Center, was considered for a new Home Depot in 2006 and 2007, but the project wasn’t well received and fell by the wayside. Home Depot is still looking for a Novato site. All indications are that Pacific Star won’t consider a big box retailer.
Pacific has a real estate portfolio that’s valued north of $572 million, according to the company website, and was founded by Ethan Penner, Aria Mehrabi and David Walker in 2003. Its holdings include mixed-use residential resorts in Mexico and Hawaii.
The company has met with Novato officials regarding what development possibilities would receive City Hall’s blessing. At this writing, no plans have been submitted to the city, but it is known that the developer did mention retail, hotel and restaurants as possibilities. More than one city council member has expressed concern that the property is adjacent to sensitive wetlands.
It’s a fair wager that Pacific Star understands the land nearby is sensitive. It’s also a good bet the developer didn’t risk millions to leave the land as open space.
