Chair, Members of the Board,
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
On behalf of our campaign committee, I first want to express our sincere appreciation to this Board for your leadership over the past several months and for your commitment to addressing San Luis Obispo County's long-term transportation needs.
Since the beginning of this year, an extraordinary coalition has come together around a shared goal: securing a long-term, locally controlled source of transportation funding for our county. Business leaders, labor organizations, public safety professionals, local governments, community advocates, and residents united around the belief that our transportation system is fundamental to our economy, public safety, emergency response, housing, and quality of life.
Together, our citizen's effort collected more than 12,000 signatures from voters across San Luis Obispo County in support of placing this measure before the public. At the same time, local businesses, organizations, and community leaders invested hundreds of thousands of private dollars because they believe this issue is critical to our county's future.
That coalition is one of the strongest our county has assembled around a transportation funding measure, and we are incredibly proud of what this community accomplished.
We were deeply disappointed when our citizens' initiative was unable to move forward this spring because of the consultant error that invalidated our petitions. It was an outcome none of us anticipated, and a significant setback for the many volunteers, supporters, and donors who had invested so much in this effort.
When that happened, SLOCOG stepped forward. Your decision to place Measure H on the ballot ensured this important conversation could continue, and we remain sincerely grateful for your willingness to provide another path forward.
Since then, we have not stood still.
Over the past several weeks, our committee has carefully evaluated the current political and economic environment, consulted with some of California's most experienced transportation funding campaign professionals, and thoroughly assessed what it would take to achieve voter approval under today's conditions.
What we found is that the environment has become significantly more challenging. Ongoing affordability concerns, inflationary pressures, and economic uncertainty have made it increasingly difficult to ask voters to approve new revenue measures. At the same time, the results of California's June elections reinforced just how difficult it has become for local tax measures requiring a two-thirds vote to succeed.
Here in San Luis Obispo County, the only local tax measure on the June ballot received just 54% voter approval and passed only because it was a citizens' initiative requiring a simple majority. Those results were not unique to San Luis Obispo County. All three local tax measures on the ballot in neighboring Monterey County failed, and the lone local tax measure in Santa Barbara County was also unsuccessful. Together, those outcomes reinforced the increasingly difficult environment facing local revenue measures—and the even higher bar for measures requiring two-thirds voter approval.
Our responsibility has never been simply to place a measure on the ballot. Our responsibility is to pass one.
After careful consideration, our committee has concluded that the responsible course is to recommend withdrawing the ordinance placing Measure H on the November ballot.
This recommendation is not a reflection of the need. Rather, it reflects our responsibility to be good stewards of what this community has built. The coalition we assembled, the trust we have earned, and the private resources invested in this effort are too valuable to expend on a campaign that no longer has a realistic path to achieving the required two-thirds vote.
Withdrawing the ordinance will also avoid significant election administration costs while preserving the opportunity to return with a stronger strategy and the broad public support necessary to succeed.
The need has not changed. Our commitment has not changed. Only our strategy has.
We respectfully ask for your support in withdrawing the ordinance and allowing this remarkable coalition to continue its work toward a transportation funding measure that can achieve lasting success for San Luis Obispo County.
Thank you.