Friday, January 27th we submitted the our petitions to the registrars offices. Sonoma did a preliminary count- Marin chose not to count until Monday. While we don't know the exact number of signatures we submitted, we anticipate the raw number to be very close to the 14,902 signature threshold. Unfortunately, some of those signatures will not be valid. making it likely that we did not submit enough signatures to compel SMART to call an election.

We remain committed to creating some semblance of accountability from the SMART Board to the voters that are funding their project, and to protecting citizen's access to the electoral process (despite SMART's repeated failure to respect elections law). We are considering options to continue our efforts, and will announce further action shortly.

We want to thank those of you who volunteered time and energy or contributed financially to support our effort. Almost 90% of our signatures were collected by volunteers, and our grassroots effort has been funded completely by the generosity of local voters. We were told that we couldn't do it with a heavily volunteer effort, and we have come very close to proving them wrong.

We feel strongly that our efforts have pushed SMART to improve the project- while they continue to refuse to answer many troubling questions, they know that they have more citizens watching them closely, and expecting more than mediocrity.

Do not let the establishment (or their bullies) silence your voice- keep speaking up for what is right.

Here are copies of the Secretary of State’s letters to SMART.  We believe they answer the question as to the legality of the SMART ordinance adopted yesterday, and whether or not we need to comply with lawless laws enacted by renegade boards without authority.

http://repealsmart.org/Finley_ltr_to_Colantuono_10_12_11.pdf

http://repealsmart.org/Finley_ltr_to_Colantuono_10_17_11.pdf  (this one is a bit more explicit & succinct)

The petitions are finally ready to be signed & circulated!  Do you want a petition, so you can help gather signatures?  Can you work a petition-signing location?  Do you have a retail store which you can volunteer to be a RepealSMART Signature Center, where we can send people to sign it?  Or do you just want to sign the petition?  

We need to know this information to get the petitions out there, so if you wouldn't mind, could you log in to our website & update your user information to answer these questions.  Could you please take a minute to update your information & tell us how you would like to help?  

Would anyone like to work the Petaluma Farmer's Market this Saturday, Sept 24 from 2:00 - 5:30?  Please let us know.  Also, can you volunteer next Saturday, Oct 1 for a few hours?  We want to do a massive petition collection across both counties, and we need your help.

We are excited to get the signatures we need to get our repeal initiative on the ballot. This is not the project that we approved in 2008, and we deserve the chance to be heard again.  We didn't vote to pay for half-the-promised train, without any ticket-vending machines; and only 1/3 of the the promised bike path.  Furthermore, the rest of the Bay Area is now paying for our SMART mistake with the trifecta bailout from SCTA, TAM, and now MTC next week, using toll revenue which was intended for the roads.  We were promised that this would not take money away from our roads.  The deadline for submitting the signatures is January 27, so we look forward to being on the June 2012 ballot.  

RepealSMART is pleased to announce the official launch of it’s campaign to repeal SMART’s tax measure by publishing it’s Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition. This notice is the first step in the campaign to Repeal Measure Q (with it’s ¼ cent sales tax) which is the major source of funding for the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District.

In the notice (included below), RepealSMART outlines the primary reason for this campaign--that SMART’s current plan does not substantially deliver the benefits that were promised voters in 2008 with Measure Q, and as such, repealing Measure Q will provide a “strategic timeout” for SMART to re-evaluate their plan and come back to the voters with an accurate, effective and fully funded plan.

To qualify the initiative to be placed on the ballot, proponents must submit 37,314 valid signatures collected from voters throughout the District, which comprises Sonoma and Marin Counties. These signatures must be collected within a 6 month period, after which the signatures will be verified and the initiative scheduled for an upcoming election.

RepealSMART spokesman Clay Mitchell states, “We strongly deplore the decisions SMART continues to make in pursuing an ineffectual and deeply flawed project. SMART has not been forthcoming with accurate cost projections, and when compelled to do so, the picture is dismal. Taxpayer money is being spent at an alarming rate, while the scope of the project has been chopped to a fraction of what was promised to the voters. This is not at all what we voted for.”

Mitchell continues, “We are left with no choice but to pursue action to compel SMART to stop burdening the citizens of Sonoma and Marin Counties with further debt for half a rail project that does not accomplish it’s stated goals or conform to the guidelines that were presented to voters back in 2008. We will take this matter to the voters, and make the case for fiscal sanity and proper financial planning. It is important that SMART be held accountable to deliver what was promised, which is unattainable under the current plan.”

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CIRCULATE PETITION