Green Monday!

October 16, 2006

Welcome Cat Woods to Marinmaven. We are glad she decided to join us. For your information, Cat Woods is the Green Candidate for District 6 Assembly (personally, our favorite political race). Feel free to post questions to both Cat and Dr. Mike, and hopefully we will get them to answer. By the way, we have asked both the libertarian candidate, Richard Olmstead and democratic candidate, Jared Huffman to join us. You know we are just juvenile enough to resort to making chicken noises — we desperately don’t want to have to go there.

We went to the Farmer’s Market at the Civic Center and the Anti-SMART folk were there. According to their flier, SMART has several problems:
1. SMART would not reduce traffic congestion on Highway 101 and it would increase delays on surface streets according to SMART own 4 million taxpayer-funded survey.
2. SMART’s limited service on a single track, for less than 3 hours each weekday morning and afternoon with no weekend service.
3. SMART’s warning horns and diesel exhaust would expose residents to sever noise and combustion products.
4. Freight trains would use the SMART tracks and could operate at night.
5. The SMART project would fill significant wetland habitats in Northern Marin.
6. Buses are far cheaper than rail in the 101 corridor.

It lists the following as being opposed toÂ Measure R: Marin Audubon Society, Marin Conservation League, Los Robles Homeowners League, Marin United Taxpayer Association, Redwood Village HOA, Marin Citizens for Effective Transportation, Larkspur City Council, Lincoln-San Rafael Hill Neighborhood Association, Watershed Preservation Network, Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association, North Marin Water Board Director Dennis Rodoni, Novato City Council Members Judy Arnold and Pat Eklund, Marin County Supervisors Hal Brown and Susan Adams.

The guys on the YES on Proposition 89, the clean moneyÂ and fair elections act were also there. The proposition is modeled after successful laws in Maine and Arizona. It is estimated that for the cost of $6 per year per California resident, we can fund campaigns for qualified candidates who limit their spending and reject private funding.

I am looking at both Dr. Mike’s and Cat Wood’s website about their positions on these two issues. Dr. Mike is against SMART by exposing Gail the Snail, Myrtle the Turtle, Seth the Sloth as SMART supporters (First “Eddie the Elephant”, now “Seth the Sloth” — does their cuteness know no boundaries?) Cat is leaning against SMART.
Woods: “It is close to the vote on this measure, and I am not yet convinced that the SMART project has worked adequately on integrating with other public transportation in this district. If anyone can give me evidence that it has, please contact me immediately. Meanwhile, I’m currently leaning against this project for the time being. It would be a disaster if this hurt public transportation in the area.”
Both Woods and Dr. Mike have agreed to pass “real campaign finance reform that does not discriminate against independent and third party candidates. Check out Cat Woods position page, there is a thee candidate pledge that is interesting.

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