Greenway opposition urges voters to vote “NO” on deceptive Measure D

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Don’t let big-spending special interests trick you into destroying public transit alternatives to clogged Highway 1, especially since we’re already getting a trail – some sections are complete and more construction is set to begin this year.

Greenway’s Measure D pretends to be pro-trail and pro-transit, but this sneaky effort would bring a screeching halt to existing plans for zero-emission public transportation and a safe walking and biking trail on the 32-mile rail corridor as an alternative to Highway 1, from Santa Cruz to Watsonville.

Traffic jams on Highway 1 are one of our biggest problems. Working people lose hours away from their families, while idling cars emit harmful greenhouse gasses. Our team at No Way Greenway believes that Greenway’s Measure D would end our best opportunity for clean energy alternatives.

The Greenway campaign deceptively claims Measure D preserves clean-energy light rail options through a process called “railbanking” - but the fine print calls for ripping out existing tracks - and even rewrites County law to eliminate references to, and all planning for, clean-energy, zero-emission light rail.

Despite Greenway’s talk about railbanking and interesting things happening in other places outside of Santa Cruz, the fact is, not one single mile of rail track anywhere in America has ever come back into service after having been railbanked and paved over for a trail. Once the tracks are ripped up, as is called for in Measure D per the County’s official Impartial Analysis, they will never come back.

We believe nearly everyone in Santa Cruz County wants a trail. Trail segments that include both rail AND trail are already complete – including in Santa Cruz and Watsonville - and more are underway.

While Deceptive Greenway Measure D pretends to be pro-trail, in fact, Measure D halts existing trail construction immediately because of the need to restart the complex planning and engineering process that has been underway for years. This will force a decade of delays and waste millions in public funds.

The Greenway Measure D campaign knows there is strong local support for having both trail AND rail so they’ve hidden their true goals in slick-looking, greenwashed corporate packaging funded mostly by a wealth few.

Opposition to Greenway initiative continues to build with Santa Cruz Seaside Company (Beach Boardwalk Owner-Operator) and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County among the most recent to join the fight.

“Greenway’s Measure D is a very bad idea for Santa Cruz County and must be defeated,” said Kris Reyes, Director of Strategic Development and External Affairs for Santa Cruz Seaside Company. “As one of the top employers in Santa Cruz County, we are acutely aware of how important it is to address both our community’s current transportation challenges and plan for the future. Our employees who travel north to Santa Cruz from Watsonville and beyond need an alternative to congested Highway 1, preferably one that reduces our impact on greenhouse gas emissions. We envision a future that includes both a trail and clean passenger rail. Now is not the time for a divisive and ill-conceived measure that will eliminate our future options to improve transportation in Santa Cruz County. The Santa Cruz Seaside Company encourages a No vote on Measure D.”

According to a new public statement by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, “…substantial amounts of additional planning and permitting action would be required by various local, state, and even federal agencies before any construction on a Greenway trail could begin. Additionally, if a Greenway is built instead of a Rail Trail, we will lose an important transportation option by essentially committing to a future without rail. The Land Trust supports the concept of a trail built next to the rail. We are already on the right track: changing course now would cause significant delays. We urge the City of Santa Cruz, the City of Watsonville, and the County of Santa Cruz to significantly accelerate the current rate of trail construction.”

(No Way Greenway)

The coalition of local organizations that have taken a public stand against Greenway’s Measure D spans across the political and geographic spectrum and is likely unprecedented in scope in Santa Cruz County history. More than 35 organizations, dozens of elected officials and hundreds of individual community members have listed their names in opposition to Measure D.

Check out the full list here, which includes chambers of commerce; climate change and environmental organizations; Democratic clubs; service organizations; labor unions; a major of the members of the Santa Cruz City Council, Watsonville City Council, and Cabrillo College Board of Trustees; and many more.

Learn more at our website, or find updates on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

(No Way Greenway)

Paid for by No Way Greenway FPPC #1442272