Measure D roundup: everything you need to know to vote “YES”

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County experts, leaders, journalists, and community members have all weighed in on Measure D. Get caught up on the facts from respected community members on why you should vote YES on Measure D.

• Explainer: Santa Cruz County’s rail trail ballot measure by Santa Cruz Local
• Yes on D Endorsement by Santa Cruz Sentinel
• Yes on D – Keep travel safe for kids and get them off the couch! by Growing Up in Santa Cruz
• Statement regarding No on D Claims by Legal Counsel for the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commision (RTC)
• Comparing Trail Options by Supervisor Manu Koenig, RTC Vice-Chair
• Get Your Head Straight on Measure D: Walk the Coastal Corridor by Supervisor Manu Koenig, RTC Vice-Chair via Lookout Santa Cruz
• Latest Rail Trail News from the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) by Supervisor Manu Koenig, RTC Vice-Chair
• History of the Rail Corridor by Will Mayall

The Measure D campaign has divided the community in a way we never thought it would. While we did our best to run a positive and fact-based campaign, our opponents chose to run a campaign based on fear, negativity and misinformation causing the subsequent discourse to devolve into conspiracy theories, false accusations, and personal attacks.

By now, most residents realize that the dream for a train is at present just that, a dream. Whether a majority of the County chooses to accept or reject our campaign to prioritize a continuous and multi-use trail on the unused rail corridor, the lack of funds or RTC support to build a passenger rail system anytime soon has made itself abundantly clear.

Climate change is here, and it is erratic in its destruction. The rate at which Earth’s environment will be affected by global warming is unknown, but change to our coasts will likely come sooner than we think. The idea that voting no on Measure D – with the hope that the 100+ year old tracks could be used for passenger rail in 25 years – is somehow a win in the fight against climate change is a delusion.

To quote the Democratic Club of North Santa Cruz County, “Climate change demands we take real action NOW.” That is exactly what a YES vote on Measure D does. A YES vote on Measure D sends a clear message to the county and the RTC that the community wants to use the rail corridor for zero-emission active transportation NOW; not bet on a hope and a prayer that someday, somehow, everything will fall into place and someone will give our county the $1B+ needed to make rail possible.

No matter the outcome of this ballot initiative, we hope that folks on both sides will be able to come together with their fellow community members to advocate for an improved bus system that meets everyone’s needs, a safe active transportation network across our county, and other meaningful and realistic transportation solutions that work to make our community better.

Thank you for considering a YES vote on Measure D.

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