Short post today as we head into the last weekend before the elections.
Have you been watching the State Budget crises this week? The hole in the budget is approaching $10 Billion and the Governor is threatening to cut Education by an additional $2-4 Billion (remember the argument that we should wait until the state figures out their budget before putting something on the ballot? We’d still be waiting for THIS year!).
What’s interesting is to notice that no money has been taken out of State Highway funding. The result of Prop 42’s protections which require all raided funds to be repaid three years after the raid to be sure, but then Prop 98 also guarantees funding, or so we thought.
Which brings us to Measure VV, the AC Transit parcel tax of $4 a month. The State has raided public transit funding for over $1Billion this year, almost all of it coming from funding that could have gone to transit operations (Operations funding is difficult to come up with, Bonds, etc. cannot fund ongoing operations). This is an endemic problem, and AC Transit has decided to hold off on new fare increases and possible service cuts in favor of asking the community to support the current fares by having each property owner pay the equivalent of 1 round trip bus fare a month (with transfer!).
Pleas vote Yes on VV.
And a last plug from Chris Peeples for AC Transit Director. There’s a reason he’s supported by major environmental groups. It’s because he has a broad understanding of the issues that AC Transit is facing. For Alamedans, he’s become a major champion of fixing the Line 51 service issues and is pushing hard to get the agency moving on plans that have been “in the works” for a couple of years. We’re going to hear a report on the plans in December.
Here’s the latest results of the SD&R “Who will win on Tuesday” Survey. Take the survey if you haven’t already.
Percent of responders who believe the candidate will be elected on Tuesday (25 responses)
1. Who will win the Alameda City Council Election? (pick two)
|
Marie Gilmore |
96% |
|
Doug deHaan |
72% |
|
Tracy Jensen |
16% |
|
Justin Harrison |
8% |
2. Who will win the Alameda School Board Race? (Pick Three)
|
David Forbes |
88% |
|
Neil Tam |
64% |
|
Janet Gibson |
60% |
|
Ron Mooney |
48% |
|
Trish Spencer |
16% |
3. Will Measure P Pass?
|
Yes |
32.0% |
|
No |
68.0% |
4. Will the Charter Amendments (Measure Q-X) pass?
|
All of them will |
58.3% |
|
Some of them will |
33.3% |
|
None of them will |
8.3% |
What a joke of a poll:
With .0005677% of voters reporting….
and only that elite group of those who would bother with a JKW poll…
The really sad thing about any poll it that it encourages people to vote based on polls rather than the candidates or issues.
Too many people get concerned with trying to vote for winners rather than voting for what’s right. Voting for what’s right involves too much reading for most people who are already in the habit of doing what the TV tells them to do.
How Silly, how sad.
Um, you realize that the poll was just for fun right? It’s not as though JKW is trying to pass it off as some valid measure of the way the political winds are blowing.
Relax. Just likes signs, polls don’t vote either.
Hi, DK. I actually the this poll is an interesting exercise in seeing what others–presumably those who are paying close attention to the candidates and issues–are thinking will transpire.
I can’t imagine a voter being swayed!? by such a poll: If you support Obama, would you switch if the polls showed him losing? If you support McCain, are you not going to vote for him because he’s behind in the polls? –Eve