Attached is an MS Word document containing a letter to the Ballot Simplification Committee with proposed revisions to their draft language describing to voters the November 2018 ballot measure seeking to authorize borrowing up to $425 million to pay for the first phase of the Port Commission's estimated $2 billion to $5 billion plan to repair and upgrade the Embarcadero seawall.
I plan to append this timeless Willie Brown quote to the letter, as partial justification for some of the wording changes I've proposed (specifically, the part which would inform voters that large capital projects often come in over budget):
“News that the Transbay Terminal is something like $300 million over budget should not come as a shock to anyone. We always knew the initial estimate was way under the real cost. Just like we never had a real cost for the Central Subway or the Bay Bridge or any other massive construction project. So get off it. In the world of civic projects, the first budget is really just a down payment. If people knew the real cost from the start, nothing would ever be approved. The idea is to get going. Start digging a hole and make it so big, there's no alternative to coming up with the money to fill it in.”
– former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, SF Chronicle column, July 28, 2013
If you are willing to be a co-signer of this letter, please let me know ASAP. The deadline to submit it is today (Tuesday) at 5:00pm.
And if you can join me later this morning at City Hall in Room 400 where the BSC meets starting at 9:00 am to discuss the wording of the next two ballot measure summaries on their agenda, please do, I would welcome the support in fighting for wording that as much as possible in such impartial summaries tells voters the truth about what officials want them to approve!
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))