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We know that times are tough right now, and that is what makes right now the perfect moment to invest in our valley's economic and transportation future. We have the opportunity on the November ballot to give families an option to move away from the expensive fossil fuels that are pinching our budgets. We have an opportunity to create jobs in Silicon Valley. We have an opportunity to improve transit in the Bay Area. All while protecting taxpayers' pocket books. This opportunity is Measure B. And we urge you to join us in voting yes.
Measure B funds the operation and maintenance of a BART line in Santa Clara County. The planned line will extend south from Fremont into Milpitas, San Jose and Santa Clara. It will have six stops. Two of the stations, downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, will link to Caltrain, completing a ring of commuter rail around the bay. We aren’t big spenders. And that’s what we like about Measure B. It will cost the average adult about $13 a year. But it will create hundreds of well paying engineering and construction jobs in Santa Clara County, putting people back to work during a down economy. And, an independent study shows, it will pump an estimated $4.4 billion to $6.9 billion into the local economy. Since BART will integrate with Caltrain and light rail, the extension will make rail transit in San Jose more convenient than ever. When the extension is complete, more than 80 percent of county residents will live less than two miles from a BART, Caltrain or Light Rail station, all fully connected with each other. It gives commuters and families a real opportunity to leave their cars at home and still get to work, saving them time and the cost of gas. And here's one of the best parts: Measure B, the proposed 1/8-cent sales tax for the BART extension, protects us as taxpayers. We have local and state money to construct the BART line in Santa Clara County. In fact, engineering for the line is almost complete and the land for the entire 16-mile extension has been purchased. But to get federal construction money, we need to prove to the Federal Transit Administration that we will pay to operate the line without cutting other vital transit services. Measure B provides that funding and protects other services by creating a dedicated revenue stream to operate the line. It shows the federal government that we have money to maintain and operate the line, thus allowing us to access the federal matching funds we need. But if the federal government doesn't contribute its share of construction money for the extension, Measure B never goes into effect. That protects all of us. Let's do our part to create the transportation of the future here and now, to create jobs in the valley and allow Santa Clara County commuters an affordable alternative to their cars. Vote yes on Measure B. City Councilmember Nancy Pyle represents District 10, which includes the Almaden Valley. Jim Cunneen is a former member of the California Assembly.
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