[friday-follies] Measure RR editorial re-found (was: It's time for a Proposition Party!)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Michael Siladi (msiladi at ix.netcom.com):

> I've only heard back from a couple people, so we're on for Saturday
> 10/17, starting at Noon.
> 
> If you wish to attend, send a reply and I'll send you an invitation
> to the Zoom Session.

My thanks to everyone for participating.  

Michael Schaffer (/me waves) quite rightly corrected my erroneous
passing claim (relevant to regional measure RR) that CalTrain's
Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board ("JPB") is run only by San Mateo
County _only) and not the other two counties affected.  Michael took the
time to look up JPB membership, and all three counties are maintained.

I apologised for the error, and said I'd relied on a quick take from a
usually reliable source.  This is a follow-up to say I've re-found said
source, an editorial by Palo Alto Daily Post's editor Dave Pine (in the 
Oct. 12 issue):

   Reverse Robinhood tax

   Measure RR -- No,  This is a new one-eighth-of-a-cent tax that
   would last 30 years to fund Caltrain.

   The letters RR, in our opinion, stand for Reverse Robinhood because
   this tax steals from the poor and give to the rich.

   Sales taxes are regressive.  Poorer people pay a larger percentage
   of their disposable income on sales taxes than the rich.  On the
   other hand, Caltrain riders are the wealthiest of public transit 
   users in the Bay Area.  Caltrain's own fare study shows that 60% of 
   its riders make over $100,000 and 23% over $200,000.  Instead of 
   taxing the poor, Caltrain should either raise fare or tax large 
   employers who benefit from the commuter railroad.

   The tax iteself is an attempt by Caltrain to escape accountability.
   Caltrain's board is appointed by officials in San Mateo County even
   though the railroad also serves Santa Clara and San Francisco
   counties.  In fact, the CEO of Caltrain -- currently former Redwood
   City politician Jim Hartnett -- is hired and fired by the SamTrans
   board, which has no connection to the other two counties, either.

   Most of Caltrain's money comes from fares.  But Caltrain typically
   needs another $20 million to $30 million every year to balance its
   budget.  So, Hartnett goes hat-in-hand to transit agencies in the
   three counties for funds to balance the budget.  That's the only 
   time Santa Clara and San Francisco counties can exercise any control
   over Caltrain.

   If RR is approved, Caltrain can stop asking the other two counties 
   for money, avoiding any oversight.  RR is a blank check -- $108
   million a year with no oversight.

   After Caltrain replaces the $20 million to $30 million it gets from
   the three counties, what would it do with the remaining $78 million
   to $88 million from the tax?

   Caltrain has made no binding commitments for how it will spend the
   windfall.  They're saying in so many words "trust us".


   Leaders aren't elected

   If you don't like how Caltrain spends it, tough luck.  Nobody is 
   directly elected to Caltrain's board.  

   How does Caltrain spend its funds now?  Hartnett's pay and benefits
   for running Caltrain and SamTrans hit $462,936 in 2018, according to
   the nonpartisan public compensation website Transparent California.
   Not bad for a guy with no transportation management experience, who
   didn't even meet the qualifications of his job when he was hired.

   Finally, this tax comes at a terrible time.  The Covid lockdown 
   recession has thrown tens of thousands of Peninsula residents out of
   their jobs.  A shocking number of businesses have permanently closed.
   And despite all that, Caltrain hasn't laid off a single employee.
   Yet, Caltrain, wants to raise your taxes.

   The lockdown commercials say, "We're all in this together."  Except
   for Caltrain.

   To get your vote, Caltrain is threatening to close the railroad if
   RR isn't approved.  They're bluffing, of course, because the last
   thing they want to do is give up their paychecks.  It's a scare 
   tactic.  If they're going to pull stunts like that, why would you 
   ever trust them with more money by approving this tax?

   (Yes, we know Robin Hood is two words.  You grammar cops, give us
   a break.)

As Michael pointed out, JPB is a nine-member board of directors with
three appointed members from each of the three counties.  However, what
Dave Pine wrote (above) is nonetheless a semi-almost-truth:  According to
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrain#Joint_Powers_Board),
JPB bought Southern Pacific's railroad right-of-way along the entire
stretch from San Francisco to San Jose Tamien Station[1]in 1991.  Most
of the purchase money for this was advanced by SanTrans (San Mateo
County Transit), _so_ the three counties agreed that SanTrans would be
CalTrain's managing agency until SC and SF counties repaid their
portions.

Anyhow, my basic point was that CalTrain governance (not to mention
funding) was a jury-rigged contrivance thrown together in a hurry when
Southern Pacific suddenly applied to terminate Peninsula passenger
service in the late 1970s, CalTrans (CA Dept. of Transportation) stepped
in for a decade, and then evidently they, too, wanted to hand off
responsibility, ergo JPB was formed.  IMO, the whole thing is a
recurring problem and needs reformulation, probably at a statewide
level.




[1] Later, service got further extended to Gilroy, but I don't know if
there was a right-of-way purchase.