Dear TLC partner groups & allies- Last week we sent out a request for your support of TLC's collaboration with senior and disabled groups, environmental organizations, and transportation advocates on a campaign to raise the parking tax. Raising the parking tax would generate $20 million per year for senior & disabled services and better Muni & paratransit service, and is the most socially-progressive and the only environmentally-beneficial revenue proposal under consideration that would help bridge the City's budget deficit. Unlike Mayor Newsom's proposed sales tax increase which will fall largely on San Franciscans and cannot be avoided except by shopping outside of San Francisco, surveys show that 1/2 to 2/3 of people who pay the parking tax are out-of-towners, and a large number of these are downtown office commuters who can 'beat the tax' simply by carpooling or taking transit to work. As promised in that earlier e-mail, I've attached the following materials to make it easy for your organization to endorse this concept and mobilize your members to lobby the Mayor and Board of Supervisors: 1) Endorsement Letter (template for you to modify to suit your organization's key issues/constituencies) 2) Endorsement Form 3) Fact Sheet: "Benefits & Feasibility of Raising the Parking Tax" The proposal to raise the parking tax will likely be heard at NEXT TUESDAY'S (6/13) FINANCE COMMITTEE (late morning/early afternoon, Room 263). You could have a huge impact by 1) coming to Tuesday's hearing to TESTIFY IN SUPPORT and 2) asking your members to CONTACT THE MAYOR AND BOARD (especially Finance Committee members DALY, PESKIN, and AMMIANO) by this Friday. Feel free to forward this e-mail to any other organizations/colleagues in your network that might be interested in supporting increasing the parking tax. Thank you in advance for you help, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Best-Jeremy Jeremy Nelson Transportation for a Livable City (TLC) 1095 Market St., Suite 402 San Francisco, CA 94103 office: 415.431.2447 cell: 415.425.9848 fax: 775.540.9813 e-mail: jeremy@livablecity.org web: www.livablecity.org -----Original Message----- From: Tom Radulovich [mailto:tom@livablecity.org] Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 6:11 PM Subject: Action Alert to TLC Partners: Parking Tax THE CAMPAIGN TO RAISE THE PARKING TAX. TLC has been working with several senior and environmental groups (aka, "Green & Gray Coalition") to build support for raising the parking tax from 25% to 35%. This proposal would generate $18-22M a year, to be divided Muni & paratransit and senior/disabled services. Raising the parking tax is the most socially-progressive and only environmentally-beneficial revenue proposal currently being considered as a way to address the City's $300M budget deficit. Surveys show that one-half to two-thirds of people who pay the tax are out-of-towners (who can't vote on it), unlike the other proposed tax increases, which fall largely or entirely on San Franciscans. Finally, transportation research shows that a 10% increase in the price of parking results in up to a 6% decrease in demand for existing parking spaces, meaning less cars on San Francisco streets, which in turn translates into safer conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, faster transit service, more incentive to build housing with reduced parking, and more people commuting without a car and using car share for work trips. The parking tax incentivizes an environment-friendly shift in behavior, simultaneously discouraging driving downtown while providing more operating funds for Muni service. NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP: 1) Ask your board to officially endorse the concept of raising the parking tax (Jeremy will send the endorsement form shortly). More details about the benefits of raising the parking tax are in the attached Fact Sheet, and Jeremy or I would also be happy to meet with you to further discuss this proposal and campaign. Please forward endorsements to Jeremy. 2) Contact the Board of Supervisors and tell them that you believe that a progressive, environmentally-friendly Board should support raising the parking tax. Supervisor Daly has asked for this proposal to be heard at the Finance Committee, so it is especially important to contact Daly and fellow Finance Committee members Ammiano and Peskin before FRIDAY, JULY 9TH. Please cc Jeremy (mailto:jeremy@livablecity.org). 3) Come out to testify in support this proposal, and ask your members to do the same. The proposal will be likely be heard at the FINANCE COMMITTEE, TUESDAY, JULY 13TH (late morning or early afternoon, TBD), ROOM 263. Please e-mail Jeremy (mailto:jeremy@livablecity.org) if you think you can make it to this hearing, and he'll update you once the time/date is confirmed.