The Final Push for “Yes on A, No on H”

UPDATE (November 6, 2007): Early absentee ballot results show that yes/no votes for Prop A are essentially tied, with “yes” votes in the very slight lead. In the meantime, “no” votes for Prop H have a substantial edge so far, roughly 58% no to 42% yes. This is an encouraging start at least on the Prop H end, but we’ll have more on this later, since election results won’t be finalized until near Thanksgiving.

—Original Post—

The “Yes on A, No on H” campaign for “Transit, not Traffic” is making a final effort in these last few days leading up to the election. Prop A will jumpstart the process to reform some of the fundamental difficulties underlying Muni’s resistance to improvement in recent years. Prop H, on the other hand, will only move us closer to becoming “Los Angeles del Norte”: a haven for congestion, downtown parking garages, and more pollution. I’ve already written about Prop A and Prop H several times before. Regular readers already know my position, but any new readers are encouraged to click through those links for greater detail.

All readers are strongly encouraged to volunteer this weekend for the final push to reach San Francisco voters about the message underlying the “Yes on A, No on H” campaign. This is a low turnout election year, so if we all step in and contribute just a few hours of our time — well, a dozen people here, a dozen people there, and before you know it, we’ll have reached a substantial number of people. Prop H is misleadingly cast to appeal to your average San Francisco driver, but I have a hunch that many San Franciscans would be horrified at the some of the changes Prop H could enact, if only someone would tell them. This is our last chance to do precisely that.

BeyondChron has posted a compact summary of the volunteer opportunities over the next few days:

We need your help to win this battle for the future of transportation and livability in San Francisco.

Please come out and do one or more of these things in the next week:

1) Phone bank Wednesday-Thursday 5-9 pm, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday 10 am-6 pm.
2) Precinct walk on Saturday or Sunday morning from 10-2.
3) Reach out to MUNI riders during rush hours.
4) Phone bank or precinct walk for all or part of election day (Tuesday 11/6).

Sign up for all volunteer activities by emailing transitnottraffic@gmail.com or calling Natasha Marsh at (415) 357-1479. Or just show up at 350 Rhode Island (between 16th and 17th streets in Potrero Hill). Note: main entrance is on Kansas.

Click here for the BeyondChron article. Further information on volunteering is also posted on the N-Judah Chronicles blog. Also, in case you haven’t seen it yet, the SF Bay Guardian has an article with more reading on “Yes on A, No on H.”

I sincerely hope all readers will weigh these propositions carefully, and cast a “yes” vote for Prop A, and a “no” vote for Prop H on election day. This is our chance to ensure that future generations will enjoy a San Francisco that is increasingly transit-first, green, and livable.