SB CAN Urges "Yes on S" and "No" on Prop 23
Support Social Justice
VOTE “YES” ON MEASURE S
SB CAN endorses Measure S as a social justice measure.
We need programs that help keep people out of jail, programs that provide alternatives to incarceration and reduce the rate of repeat offenses. Measure S will provide $5 million that we won’t have otherwise to develop and operate these programs.
Measure S also will alleviate the severe overcrowding and unsafe conditions that affect not only those convicted of crimes, but those awaiting trial, many of whom cannot afford bail and who will eventually be found innocent.
In addition, building a new jail in the north county, where 55 percent of the crimes are committed, will reduce the environmental impacts and costs of transporting people from the south county to Santa Maria for trial.
Socially and environmentally—as well as fiscally--it just makes sense.
That’s why so many community leaders and organizations across the political spectrum have endorsed Measure S: Congresswoman Lois Capps; County Supervisors Salud Carbajal and Joe Centeno; Santa Maria Mayor Larry Lavagnino and Santa Maria Councilwoman Hilda Zacarias; League of Women Voters and Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association.
Sitting County Judges from both the north and south county have endorsed Measure S because it directly impacts the criminal justice system.
"Measure S is the most important vote you can cast on November 2nd" said Judge Frank Ochoa. "For decades, government leaders and Grand Juries have documented, in lamentable fashion, the substandard and unsafe conditions existing in our local jail. By voting Yes on S, you will be making a statement that such conditions are inhumane and unacceptable. You will also be taking a stand for rehabilitation and prevention, combined with enhanced law enforcement resources, as the keys to securing safety in our community. I encourage everyone to vote Yes on Measure S."
Judge Rogelio R. Flores agrees: "Measure S will also give judges wider latitude to help get people with drug and alcohol problems make better choices. Currently, limited programs like drug court and limited jail capacity mean that our hands are often tied when dealing with convicted criminals who have drug and alcohol problems. With Measure S, we can change lives and make our community safer."
Measure S is a ½ cent sales tax that goes into effect if passed on July 1, 2011. It coincides with the legislated expiration of the State's temporary sales tax, meaning that the net effect on the consumer is a ½% decrease from our current sales tax rate.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to pass a public safety sales tax at a time when the effects will be minimally felt," said Sheriff Bill Brown. "For over 20 years grand jury reports have called for increasing jail capacity. We can also accept a $56.3 million state jail construction grant if Measure S passes. Let's not miss this unique opportunity."
Join SB CAN in supporting social justice by voting YES ON MEASURE S!
PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND SAVE GREEN JOBS
Join SB CAN in Voting NO on Prop 23!
Vote against Proposition 23 on Nov. 2 and let Texas Big Oil know they can't kill California's emerging clean energy industry.
The statewide initiative proposes to “suspend” clean energy and air pollution standards until the unemployment rate in California drops to 5.5 percent for one year, a level that has rarely been achieved.
This would effectively kill our state's clean air law (AB 32) that holds polluters accountable and requires them to reduce air pollution that threatens human health and contributes to global climate change.
Valero Energy Corporation and Tesoro, two of the nation's biggest polluters whose California refineries are among the top 10 polluters in the state, are behind the initiative. They would like to wipe out competition from California’s newly emerging clean energy businesses. AB 32 has thrust California to the forefront of the clean technology industry, stimulating innovation and clean energy businesses that create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
According to a new report from the California Employment Development Department, 500,000 people work in clean technology or green jobs in California. Since 2005, California green jobs have grown 10 times faster than the state average with more than 12,000 clean tech companies in the state.
Clean energy businesses are exceptional bright spots in our recovering economy. California’s clean technology sector received $9 billion cumulative venture capital investment from 2005-09, including $2.1 billion in investment capital in 2009 - more than five times the investment in our nearest competitor, Massachusetts.
These businesses are creating many jobs that can provide pathways out of poverty for struggling families. Many of these jobs – in solar companies, energy efficiency firms and green manufacturing – are “middle-skill” jobs. They pay well and require training and skill, but they are available to people without 4-year university degrees.
Air pollution is a major threat to public health with alarming rates of asthma and lung disease, especially among children. Prop. 23 would let oil companies and other polluters off the hook -- drastically increasing air pollution and public health risks. That’s why the measure is opposed by AARP and the American Lung Association in California.
The tragic spill in the Gulf has reinforced that we must move to cleaner sources of energy to reduce our dependence on dangerous and dirty oil. Prop. 23 would result in greater use of oil in California and increase the risk of accidents like that in the Gulf Coast.
By keeping us dependent on fossil fuels, Prop. 23 would also increase household electricity costs in California by 33%. These added costs will reduce economic output in California by more than $80 billion and cost over a half million jobs by 2020.
If we suspend AB 32, California would lose hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investments. California would change instantly from clean energy “leader” to “laggard.” Other states would win the countless jobs and investments that California now attracts.
Dozens of statewide and local community organizations are against Proposition 23 including California Professional Firefighters; Environmental Defense Fund; California League of Conservation Voters, and League of Women Voters, as well as SB CAN and the Community Environmental Council.
Join us in voting NO on Proposition 23 – the dirty energy bill that will kill green jobs and repeal our state's leading clean energy and clean air laws.
Visit www.StopDirtyEnergyProp.com for more information.