Your Measure D Tax Rail Marketing and Research Dollars at Work for somebody

Perhaps a million dollars has been ordered by hand-picked "community oversight groups", sponsored by our elected City CounSultans, County Supermalfeasors, the Chumash and other corrupted officials, and has been spent on "research". Although the expensive, SBCAG.org funded Ventura-SB rail Study conducted by Sharon Greene Associates was published in March 2008, the results were ignored for the Measure D election in June 2008. It was only after more misleading arguments were submitted to the November 2008 Official Voter Information Guide for Proposition 1 and Measure A, that SBCAG.org admitted in October 2008 that they agree with the Ventura County CAG that rail is not a practical option and they would not be pushing to include rail as a transportation option. So where will the next $25 million budgeted for rail go? Hopefully to repair this railroad bridge, 1955-year tracks and replace a few of the missing railroad ties.


LOSAN estimates it to cost almost a $billion just for the rail sidings, so Goleta's building of a toilet and bike racks at the train station is not much of a start. An engineer who worked on a failed rail project and spent years working with Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad personnel, stated that when he would ask if a public commuter train to SB would be allowed to rent the tracks from UP and be on time in the mornings, the answers were negative and preceded by hearty laughter.


In 2006 Kevin Ready, Senior Deputy County Counsel, wrote that, "SBCAG may use its general funds to produce and distribute an impartial presentation of relevant information to the electorate, provided the information cannot be viewed as an express advocacy of a position, pro or con, on the measure." But in 2008, it was discovered that Kevin Ready, Senior Deputy County Counsel, was listed as the Administrative Contact of the "Yes on Measure D" website (measure-d.com) and that tax money was being used to promote Measure D. Several days after the above was posted on SBCAG.com, on April 28, 2008 the "Vote Yes On Measure D" website, created in 2005 and paid up until 2009, was suddenly shut down, and archives deleted before the Measure D election. Gerald Comati has officially taken over web hosting duties for the renamed Measure A. It is being investigated if this is part of a $500,000 marketing campaign using your tax dollars. We have not received photos of the Marketing and Research Consultants; they must be hiding well.