SJ Chamber whiffs with questionable RTM endorsement
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Former governor candidate Thunder Parley unpacks the Chamber's weak claims supporting RTM and finds a whole lot of deflection and double talk, in this exclusive q and a.
SJ Chamber claim: “The Chamber recognizes that an additional sales tax comes at a cost to residents and businesses. After months of review, however, the Chamber concluded that the economic consequences of major transit cuts — including increased congestion and reduced workforce mobility — pose a greater risk to the South Bay economy.”
Thunder Parley response: I would love to know their methodology because it makes no sense.
Bay Area-wide, only 8% of commuters are using transit. Nothing about Measure RTM passing or not changes the reliability of transit in the county.
If RTM passes, 84% of the additional sales tax collected in Santa Clara County will go to VTA, which is not at a structural deficit and is not threatening any massive cuts or anything.
Caltrain is not going to reduce their commute-time trains. It's not going to affect anybody's ability to get to and from work. Any cuts are going to be low ridership routes, and even if those low ridership routes move to vehicles, it's statistically insignificant as far as impacts on traffic.
RTM can be used for pavement projects, which include road diets, adding bike lanes, things like that. I would argue that giving VTA more money, they could use it to actually make traffic worse in the county.
According to Second Harvest Food Bank, one in six Silicon Valley residents are in line at the food bank. Of those, 96% are struggling to pay rent, pay their PG&E bills, and we're going to squeeze them to hand billions to a transit agency that doesn't need the money right now?
Sales taxes hurt small mom-and-pop retail shops a lot more than the big businesses that back the Chamber, so they’re literally throwing small businesses under the bus for the benefit of big business members.
SJ Chamber claim: “Our support also comes with a commitment to accountability. If the measure passes, the Chamber will remain actively engaged in tracking how these dollars are spent, particularly the significant funding returning to VTA, and advocating for investments that deliver a stronger, more effective transit system for San Jose and Santa Clara County.”
Thunder Parley response; What accountability can they possibly enforce? Strongly worded letters.
VTA is explicitly exempt from every accountability and oversight measure from SB 63.
Where does the Chamber of Commerce stand right now on the $13 billion extension of BART into downtown that VTA serves with existing express rapid buses? VTA is already losing $69 million a year paying BART to run to Milpitas and Berryessa. The civil grand jury came out to VTA and said you have no feasible fiscal plan to build and sustain this. You don't do any cost benefit or maintenance projections.
They’re saying: let's give them billions more. Then we're going to demand some pretend accountability later.
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