In 2016 when voters got into the voting booth the ballot read:
“Safety, Pothole Repair, Traffic Relief, Transit Improvement Measure. In order to: improve children’s safety around schools; repair potholes; repave streets; improve traffic flow on Highway 1; maintain senior/disabled transit; reduce global warming pollution by providing transportation options like sidewalks, buses, bike lanes, trails; preserve rail options; shall Santa Cruz County voters adopt an ordinance establishing a half-cent sales tax for 30 years, raising approximately $17 million annually, requiring citizen oversight, independent audits, and funds spent locally? Yes/No”
“Preserve rail options” didn’t mean spending $41 million to subsidize private railroad companies or demonstrate trains as is the case today. It meant “preserve” as in “railbank” by federal protection.
Why are so many against the county’s proposed $1.2 billion train? Because it’s too expensive, ineffective, and we didn’t vote for it.
— Carey Pico, Aptos
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