To: Arcata Eye, Lumberjack, Times-Standard, Eureka Reporter, North Coast Journal, Old Arcata Road email group, Green Wheels announcement group, HSU Environmental and Social Responsibility Coalition
From: wheels «at» humboldt.edu
Date: 27 October 2006
Subject: Green Wheels 2006 Election Endorsements

Dear Community,

Green Wheels is a group of citizens and students concerned about the improvement and promotion of sustainable transportation at HSU and in the wider community. We work to reduce single occupancy automobile use because of its disproportionate negative effects on the environment, the economy and our communities. We have some endorsements for the election this November 7th for candidates and measures that further the goal of improved sustainable transportation.

We endorse Phil Angelides for governor. His experience as a developer and member of the New Urbanist movement puts him in the best position to promote smart growth, implemented through incentives.

John Chiang, while not necessarily a standout sustainable transportation candidate for State Controller, is running against Tony Strickland who wants to roll back gasoline taxes, not a very smart thing to do if you are trying to discourage gasoline over-use.

Jerry Brown is running for State Attorney General and has promised to fight federal pre-emption of California’s right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

We are most excited about the candidacy of Michael Winkler for Arcata City Council. He is personally and politically committed, knowledgeable and consensus-oriented to substantially improve sustainable transportation in Arcata. He uses sustainable transportation in his own life, driving alone less than 200 miles per year. He is a listener and go-getter who helped put the Humboldt Energy Independence Program into action, which will make HSU energy independent in 40 years. Using his experience on the Arcata Planning Commission and as an engineer at HSU's Schatz Energy Research Center, Michael has worked with the Peak Oil Action Group to come up with a transportation plan and energy plan to take us into a future of scarce fossil fuel energy and still thrive. Of all the Arcata City Council candidates, Michael is the most qualified to solve problems with both technical and political sides, and his connections on the HSU campus put him in the best position to successfully accomplish a goal almost all candidates have promised: to discover and engage the tremendous partnership opportunities for the university and city.

We endorse Jeff Leonard for Eureka City Council’s 3rd Ward because of his pro-alternative transportation stance and call for safer streets for bicyclists and pedestrians. However, we are concerned about any candidate that touts the pipe dream of light rail in our lightly populated county as Mr. Leonard does. With only one track, and a low population, light rail will never serve our communities with the frequency and low cost of buses. Talking about light rail distracts everyone from the fact that we have a regional bus service called Redwood Transit Service, and we need to make it serve the community better with better promotion, increased frequency of service and additional buses during events such as Arts Alive.

Note: (4 November 2006) Green Wheels members have since had reservations about endorsing Jeff Leonard because of his support for the proposed big box development in the Balloon Tract when he voted to abandon the city's master planning process. Leaders who we respect say that Ron Kuhnel is actually the stronger candidate, but Jeff Leonard is the only candidate who is talking about trails infrastructure, and is involved with organizations and boards to do something about it. We and others would like to recognize him for making sustainable transportation part of his platform. For more on the Eureka City Council race, read the North Coast Journal article of October 26, "City Asunder".

We oppose Propositions 1A and 1B. The government needs flexibility to fund programs that assist the poor who are most negatively affected by a gas tax, especially if it is levied higher in the future to discourage driving. Proposition 1B apportions less than 25% of funds to sustainable transportation. Borrowing $16 billion to widen freeways all over the state is suicidal as we enter an age of expensive gasoline.

We endorse Proposition 87 to tax oil production in California, and spend the money on alternative energy. Eventually we need to be able to run our transportation system on alternative energy, and this is a start.

We oppose Proposition 90 because California must maintain its right to acquire property to develop trails and rail transportation.

Please consider our suggestions when voting on November 7th!

Thanks,
HSU Green Wheels:
Aaron Antrim, Chris Rall, and Sara Dykman