San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority “Clean and Healthy Bay” Parcel Tax, Measure AA (June 2016)
| Measure AA: San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority “Clean and Healthy Bay” Parcel Tax |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| June 7, 2016 |
| Status: |
 ApprovedMajority required: 66.67% |
| Topic: |
| California parcel tax Expires in: 20 years |
| Related articles |
| California parcel tax on the ballot June 7, 2016 ballot measures in California Multiple County, California ballot measures Local environment on the ballot |
| See also |
A $12 per year parcel tax measure with revenue earmarked for the restoration of wetlands surrounding the San Francisco Bay was on the ballot on June 7, 2016, for California voters within the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. It was approved.
| A "yes" vote was a vote in favor of a parcel tax—a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value—of $12 per year throughout the nine counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay. |
| A "no" vote was a vote to reject the proposed parcel tax of $12 per year. |
The tax was designed to automatically expire in 2037, and revenue from the tax was earmarked to restoring wetlands near the San Francisco Bay. District officials estimated that the tax would produce about $500 million in revenue over 20 years. Measure AA was the first parcel tax in the history of the state to be levied throughout an entire region encompassing multiple counties.[1] The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority is active across the following counties and voters in each county cast votes on Measure AA:
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote of all ballots cast on Measure AA was required for approval.
Election results
| San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, Measure AA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 1,282,182 | 70.32% | ||
| No | 541,190 | 29.68% | ||
- Election results from San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority
| Measure AA county election results
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| County: | Yes | No | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Alameda County | 250,735 | 74.76% | 84,657 | 25.24% |
| Contra Costa County | 148,721 | 65.17% | 79,481 | 34.83% |
| Marin County | 46,888 | 72.41% | 17,862 | 27.59% |
| Napa County | 11,725 | 56.81% | 8,913 | 43.19% |
| San Francisco | 181,235 | 77.53% | 52,526 | 22.47% |
| San Mateo County | 94,643 | 71.36% | 37,982 | 28.64% |
| Santa Clara County | 269,616 | 69.81% | 116,583 | 30.19% |
| Solano County | 47,680 | 53.52% | 41,402 | 46.48% |
| Sonoma County | 71,267 | 63.28% | 41,355 | 36.72% |
| Totals: | 1,122,510 | 70.01% | 480,761 | 29.99% |
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:
| “ |
San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Program. To protect San Francisco Bay for future generations by reducing trash, pollution and harmful toxins, improving water quality, restoring habitat for fish, birds and wildlife, protecting communities from floods, and increasing shoreline public access, shall the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority authorize a parcel tax of $12 per year, raising approximately $25 million annually for twenty years with independent citizen oversight, audits, and all funds staying local?[2] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the parcel tax measure is available here.
Background
The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority
The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority is a separate government entity established by the California State Legislature through Assembly Bill 2954 in 2008 and formed in 2009. The restoration authority's website describes itself as "a regional government agency charged with raising and allocating resources for the restoration, enhancement, protection, and enjoyment of wetlands and wildlife habitat in the San Francisco Bay and along its shoreline."[3]
Restoring the bay
Environmental groups and the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority put forward a rough plan to restore 30,000 acres of tidal marshland at a cost of about $1.5 billion.[1]
Support
Supporters
Save the Bay, a group with the campaign slogan "Yes on AA: Support a Clean and Healthy Bay," and Yes on AA For the Bay were formed to urge voters to approve the proposed parcel tax.[4][5]
The following individuals signed the official argument in support of Measure AA:[6]
- California Sen. Loni Hancock (D-9)
- Paul R. Kumar, political director of Save the Bay
- Scott Haggerty, Alameda County Supervisor
- Libby Schaaf, mayor of Oakland
- Suzanne Lee Chan, Fremont City Councilmember
The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters endorsed a "yes" vote on Proposition AA.[7]
Arguments in favor
Supporters of the tax argued that restoring the bay would have beneficial effects on the environment, recreation around the bay, and the area's natural flood protection. Many supporters stressed the property and infrastructure damage that could be caused by flooding. Supporters also pointed to predictions of rising sea levels and the resulting damage to waterfront businesses, homes, airports, roads, and infrastructure as a reason to enhance the flood protection capacity of the bay.[1]
The Save the Bay website posted the following statement:
| “ |
In June 2016, Bay Area voters will have an unprecedented opportunity to protect our region. Measure AA for a Clean and Healthy Bay proposes a $12 per year parcel tax that will allow Bay Area voters to invest $500 million over 20 years to enhance the Bay and protect the shoreline for future generations.[2] |
” |
Jim Wunderman, CEO of the Bay Area Council business association, said, "The San Francisco Bay is our region's defining feature, and this measure is an historic opportunity to leave the Bay better off for our children and grandchildren. By acting now to restore our wetlands, we can improve the Bay ecosystem for fish and wildlife while protecting huge portions of the Bay shoreline from storm surges and rising seas."[8]
San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine, the chair of the restoration authority's governing board, said, "This is really an unprecedented regional collaboration to take on a very challenging regional issue, which is the health of the Bay and providing natural flood protection.”[1]
Referring to a Bay Area Council study that predicted that an extreme storm could cause $10 billion in damage to waterfront property and infrastructure, Adrian Covert, policy director with the Bay Area Council, said, "Ultimately, this is an environmental effort that happens to have some important economic benefits as well. For $1.5 billion, we could go a long way toward protecting $10 billion. So the math just works.”[1]
The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters released a statement in support of Proposition AA. An excerpt of the league's analysis is below:[7]
| “ |
Funding is desperately needed to restore San Francisco Bay’s wetlands and help protect the region from the effects of rising seas. This modest $12 annual parcel tax would be evenly distributed among all parcels in the nine-county Bay Area. Over 20 years, it would raise $500 million to restore wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and create a buffer against storms and sea level rise. VOTE YES ON MEASURE AA on June 7th, 2016![2] |
” |
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of Measure AA:[6]
| “ |
Join Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and environmental, business and community leaders from across Alameda County in voting YES on Measure AA for a clean and healthy San Francisco Bay. This measure is critical to restoring wetlands and protecting wildlife habitat for future generations throughout the Bay Area. San Francisco Bay is a part of all of our lives – whether we live along the Bay; work there; walk, jog, or visit parks along its shores; or simply appreciate it as we drive over a bridge. The Bay also attracts tourists, supports commercial fishing and attracts quality employers to the region – all of which help keep our economy strong. But pollution and other problems have put the health of the Bay at serious risk. Fish in the Bay are contaminated with harmful chemicals like PCBs, mercury and pesticides. Measure AA will restore wetlands throughout the Bay Area, which provide habitat for fish and wildlife and filter out pollutants from water to reduce toxins that threaten the ecosystem. Wetlands also act as a natural barrier against flooding and provide urban recreational open space, a resource we all cherish. Voting YES on AA will:
Measure AA includes important fiscal accountability protections:
Passing this critical measure will ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit a clean and healthy San Francisco Bay. Join us—vote YES on AA to protect San Francisco Bay, our greatest natural treasure.[2] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
A Stop Measure AA campaign was started to urge voters to reject the parcel tax.[9] Jack Weir, president of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, signed the official argument submitted in opposition to Measure AA.[6]
Arguments against
Opponents argued that the tax would be unfair since it was designed to charge all property owners in each of the nine counties surrounding the bay at an equal parcel tax rate, even though many residents lived far from the bay and did not benefit from its health as much as other residents. Opponents also argued that the tax measure was regressive because it was designed to charge the same amount for the mansion of a rich person, a building owned by a corporation, and a small house owned by a poor family.[10]
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to Measure AA:[6]
| “ |
Preserving the Bay and ensuring clean water are important; so are honesty and accountability. Measure AA is more about filling politicians’ pockets than it is about helping the environment. Renters, homeowners and small business owners OPPOSE Measure AA because:
Our environment needs help, and we need to speak up for it. We need to speak up for ourselves. Measure AA doesn't help -- it's a sham. Demand accountability from politicians and VOTE NO![2] |
” |
Path to the ballot
This tax measure was approved for the ballot by the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. On January 13, 2016, the restoration authority district’s seven-member governing board voted 6-0 to put this parcel tax measure before voters at the election on June 7, 2016. The representative from the South Bay region was absent.[1][10]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms San Francisco Bay restoration parcel tax. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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External links
Support
Opposition
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 San Mateo Daily Journal, "$12 annual Bay tax on June ballot: First-ever nine-county parcel tax proposed to support restoration," January 15, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, "Home," accessed January 20, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Save the Bay, "Home," accessed February 20, 2016
- ↑ Yes on AA For the Bay, "Home," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Alameda County Elections Office, "San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Measure AA Voter Information," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 San Francisco League of Conservation Voters, "June 2016: Vote YES on Measure AA for a Clean and Healthy Bay!!!" May 11, 2016
- ↑ Pleasanton Weakly, "Bay Area-wide parcel tax would cost Pleasanton home owners $12 a year," January 20, 2016
- ↑ Stop Measure AA, "Home," accessed June 4, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 San Francisco Chronicle, "1st-ever parcel tax to restore San Francisco Bay headed to voters," January 13, 2016
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