The Measure A Promotional Literature

It is improper for the government to promote a ballot proposition.  Do you really think the three Riverside County mailers, such as this one, were not advertising in favor of Measure A?  Somewhere between $380,000 (per Press-Enterprise article) and $500,000 (per other sources) was allocated to this advertising.
rctc advertising

SEE IF YOU CAN FIND ANYTHING THAT WILL IMPROVE
YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE IN THIS GRAB-BAG OF SPECIAL INTEREST SPENDING

Let's look at the things they promise to do with the funding:

1.  Widen I-215 from 60/91 to San Bernardino County.  Who is this for?  This is to provide greater access for commuters in San Bernardino County.  This does not "reduce congestion," it provides greater congestion in Riverside by allowing more San Bernardino commuters to transit Riverside on the way to Orange County.

But, it is also part of the long term "CargoPort" strategy that will provide greater access to Greater Los Angeles March GlobalPort to markets Northward from Riverside.

2.  Widen Route 91.  Since Orange County has a different approach to commuters -- that is, making you pay for the privilege of commuting to your Orange County (taxbase) jobs -- widening 91 to the county line is useless.

True, planners intend to "buy" the Fastrak.  This is just a bailout of the private (remember "free enterprise is best"?) interests who lost their collective shirts building the Fastrak lanes.  They intend to continue their life as toll lanes, so that you (the commuters) will pay for the purchase.

But again, the long-term strategy is to provide Southbound Access to Greater Los Angeles March GlobalPort.  Keep in mind, Orange County voters voted DOWN the development of their El Toro military base giveaway on the specific argument that their goods could be handled through March Globalport.

3. New Transportation Corridors -- Yep, more access for GlobalPort.  But wait, there's more!  You don't suppose that brand new freeways through pristine undeveloped areas will help Developers build BIG NEW DEVELOPMENTS that will bring yet more congestion to the area freeways?

4.  Double Metrolink -- sorry, folks, I like Metrolink too.  But studies show that Metrolink does not reduce congestion.  Apparently, it just opens up the possibility of commuting to new groups of commuters.  THE ONLY THING THAT WILL REDUCE CONGESTION is development geared to providing jobs here at home.  Jobs, that is, that are not LOW PAYING warehouse jobs which bring their own massive truck traffic to move the warehoused goods.

5.  Improve Alessandro.  Well, guess what!  The people who live along Alessandro don't want it widened!  We have to drive on it every day.  60% of the traffic comes from Moreno Valley, drivers who use it as a commute option to the 91.  And -- it's going to get worse.  If all that traffic was going to be diverted to the 60, we wouldn't need a wider Alessandro, would we?  But if we are going to have Greater Los Angeles March GlobalPort commuters and commuters to the new warehouse complexes along the 60, then of course Alessandro figures to become a main thoroughfare.

6.  Ditto on Central to Van Buren.

7. Allocate $1.4 billion over 30 years to road maintenance?  Yes, but when?  The first $500,000 million -- plus interest, plus borrowing costs -- is going to be used up building all these new and wider freeways.  So, repaying that $1 billion will take well into the 2015 and beyond.  

8. Set aside funds for Economic Incentive Program -- yes, those warehouses and Cargo Operations sure do need a lot of incentives.  Folks, these are not the jobs you want to work at, these are not the jobs you want your kids working at.  You are being bamboozled here.

9.  Continue and expand public transit for seniors and persons with disabilities -- this is just a blatant play for votes.  There is no specific plan for these services and once again the spending earmarked for the services is probably years and years off in the future.

What do you see in this grab-bag that will improve your quality of life?

Vote NO, RESOUNDING "NO", on Measure A.  Tell these planners we really DO care about how Riverside County is developed and it is not as the "Shipping Capitol of Southwest US."  That is a long range plan only a non-Riversider could love.