By the time you read this missive, the battle for hearts, minds and sales tax dollars on behalf of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter system will be reaching the apex of its hype. The claims and counter claims will run neck and neck. The mother’s milk of politics—cash—will flow for everything from mailers to focus groups to lawn signs. And for the fourth time since 1990, North Bay residents will vote on the issue.
A poll released by North Bay Transportation Alliance, the political arm of SMART, shows that 71 percent of respondents in Marin now favor the train; that number swells to 83 percent in Sonoma. The poll represented a sampling of 1,250 voters in both counties and had a margin of error of +/-3 percent. It was released just prior to the announcement that SMART was placing Measure Q on the November ballot as a way of softening the ground.
Should the measure fail in Marin again, it certainly won’t be for lack of financing from folks who don’t live here. The Transportation Alliance has lined up a $144,850 war chest as of September 10 to advocate the train’s upside. Of that total, just $38,500 comes from people or businesses in Marin. And while it’s not unusual to see “out of town” money flow into a campaign, there seems to be some disparity between the poll results and the funding.
Now, before all of the SMART advocates wear out their keyboards sending email pointing out that Marin and Sonoma are part of the SMART district, let me finish: What I’m saying is, it looks like people in Sonoma, San Francisco and Illinois want to be sure there are enough dollars to educate, convince and influence Marin voters into pulling the lever their way—but folks who live here aren’t ponying up.
The advocates on the other side of the issue, North Bay Citizens for Effective Transportation (NBCET), seem to be content to let the Transportation Alliance target Marin. The anti-train group is planning on focusing much of its efforts on knocking down support for the commuter rail in Sonoma. How that will be accomplished is unclear, as its website is nothing but a home page and, according to the Secretary of State’s office, the committee has failed to bank any contributions. This isn’t to say NBCET hasn’t raised money to get the word out. It is to say, however, that the group hasn’t filed jack with the state. And the only visible signs of its effort? On a Highway 101 overpass, a lone volunteer held a pole attached to poster about 15 feet long. One end of the poster was attached to the overpass cyclone fencing, while the volunteer held a pole moving the anti-train sign to attract attention.
Bleeding red ink
The challenging economy has been difficult on newspapers nationwide as businesses conserve cash by cutting back on ads. Newspapers have also struggled with the growing numbers of online sources for news that have siphoned off both readers and advertisers. Marin publications have shown they’re not immune from the industry-wide struggles.
The Novato Advance, an 86-year-old newspaper that covered Marin’s northernmost city like a blanket, gave up the ghost in September, blaming its demise on shrinking ad revenues and growing operating costs. The Advance had been bleeding red ink since 1999.
The paper tried everything to stay afloat, from beefing up its editorial staff to creating a website to capitalize on Internet advertising. It shopped for a buyer during the spring and summer but found no takers.
With the demise of the Advance, it’s a fair bet that the Pacific Sun, a countywide weekly, will make a push into Novato. (In the interest of full disclosure, I wrote for a number of years for the Pacific Sun). The Sun is available via several newsstand locations in Novato, but historically, has never enjoyed wide readership in that city. The Sun has enjoyed fairly consistent ad revenue and has shown no signs of cutting back editorial coverage.
Marin’s only daily newspaper, the Marin Independent Journal, is also feeling the pain, as witnessed by the downsizing in its newsroom.
The paper made an announcement in mid-September that its newsroom would be restructured, with Matthew Wilson being elevated to publisher from executive editor and Doug Bunnell moving from editorial page editor to Wilson’s old spot. The odd man out in the realignment was Mario van Donegan, who was sent to head up the Santa Cruz Sentinel by the IJ’s parent company, Denver-based MediaNews Group, one of the larger newspaper chains in the country.
It’s difficult to say how the parent company’s financial standing has affected the IJ. As of April, MediaNews no longer voluntarily files SEC reports after brokering a deal with its financer, Bank of New York. In 2007, MediaNews posted a net income of $35.6 million and a net profit margin of 2.7 percent.
It’s ironic when a company that owns newspapers dedicated to the public’s right to know decides to slam the door on information regarding its operation. What is known is its reputation: It wields a pretty sharp axe when it comes to thinning the ranks.
The IJ editorial staff was 29 strong when the layoffs were announced. Under Wilson’s leadership, the paper held onto a majority of its talent. Under previous management and ownership (the IJ was formerly 100 percent owned by Gannett, which still owns a small percentage), it was plagued by editorial turnover.
At any rate, Wilson will be asking the remaining troops to do more with less.
