Dear Climate Care Activists,

It's the Election Issue, and VCCool's done our homework to help you understand the fine print of Ventura's ballot measures as related to global warming. It's time for all good global warming activists to get out the vote!

-From the folks of VCCool
www.vccool.org

P.S. Welcome to all the new newsletter subscribers! For the next three months, we are blessed with a volunteer admin extrordinair - Kendra Gonzales. She just entered 85 new subscribers from Earth Day, the 4th of July, and more. So Welcome!

Ballot Measure Forum with Local Flair
Why is November 3 Important for the Environment, Public Transportation, and Social Justice?

Wednesday, October 21st
6:30-8:30pm
Bell Arts Factory
432 N Ventura Ave, Ventura 93001

Free / Bilingual

Join us for an Ventura-Avenue-Style forum on this year's November ballot initiatives. VCCool and ASERT (Alliance for Sustainable and Equitable Regional Transportation) will be hosting this in-depth look at measures A, B, and C, with help from C4 Green Building Council, and CAUSE. We've worked hard to come up with an informed, gender-balanced panel that can go into detail on the pros and cons of each measure. There will also be time for written questions collected at the event.

As a special treat
Los Amigos band will be opening for us with beautiful Latin rhythms and guitar. Lalo's, one of the Avenue's best Mexican restaurants, is cooking up some tasty snacks. There will also be a Spanish/English interpreter available so that everyone feels welcome to participate.

VCCool's 2009 Voter Guide

VCCool is taking a position on two of the three ballot measures this year. We feel it is important to weigh in from a healthy-climate point of view.

Yes on A
Support public transit with a half-cent general sales tax

VCCool is recommending a YES vote on measure A. We are deeply concerned about the impact of state budget cuts on local funding, particularly the 30% cut to Ventura County’s budget for public transportation.

Measure A is a half cent general sales tax for the city of Ventura. The tax expires in four years. Measure A’s Spending Plan includes money specifically for local public transportation. It also includes funds for local street repair improving conditions for cyclists, as well as funds for other core services in the city of Ventura.

   Measure A - Full Text     City of Ventura FAQ on Measure A

No on B
No to Sprawl. Support compact walkable, bike-friendly communities with public transit

VCCool is recommending a NO vote on November 3rd ballot measure B. VCCool is committed to a walkable and bike friendly community with affordable public transportation. A 26 foot height limitation prevents compact infill, effectively forcing Ventura's future growth out as opposed to up. Denser residential development coupled with or adjacent to commercial trade locations optimizes space utilization, making it possible to walk, bike, and bus.
Measure B - Full Text

VCCool Supports SOAR

The VCCool Board has formally voted in support of SOAR's mission and goals. SOAR (Save Open-Space and Agricultural Resources) is dedicated to protecting open space and agricultural lands by limiting urban sprawl. Careful city planning for compact walkable and bikeable communities is critical to lowering our carbon footprint. What many people don't realize is that compact city design is also what makes public transit economically viable. We also believe having abundant local agriculture will become more and more important in the big picture of sustainability and a healthy climate.

A report on SOAR's September forum which focused on SB-375
Land use effects on climate described

By Kathleen Wilson, Ventura County Star,

"Leaders of Ventura County’s open-space movement kicked off an effort Thursday to address climate change through land use decisions that cut gasoline use, driving down harmful emissions."

The Ventura Experiment

A group from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB will feature Ventura as a model city in a three part project that addresses the questions a community faces when it tackles its carbon emissions: what to do, how to do it, and what will it cost?

Around the world a selection of “Pioneer Cities” are undergoing similar projects. Ventura will be linked to Wuxi, a city on the Yangtse River in China.

The study will have three steps. Bren students will evaluate our carbon footprint as a community. They will design a menu of strategies for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Then they will develop a feasibility analysis of the political and economic factors of our community. In addition to a set of recommendations for Ventura they hope to create a toolkit adoptable to other communities. We can look for the results in the spring of 2010—right around Earth Day. But you can check out the project on their web page.

Not Your Father's Climate Change
Looking at Climate Crisis from the vantage of sea-level rise

By Bill Fulton, Ventura City Council Member

"I attended two panels today where speakers dealt with adaptation and sea level rise. Both had a handful of people – in contrast to the throngs that went to the emissions reduction panels, which is what we're used to thinking about in regards to climate change." Read the complete article.

A Final Word from the Editor

Vote.

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