A new paper researched and written by the Conservation Law Foundation in partnership with the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University in Boston features 10 case studies about transportation finance including Measure R. Move LA Executive Director Denny Zane was then asked to participate in a series of "learning conversations" allowing stakeholders in Massachusetts to find out more about how the Measure R campaign was waged. The full paper can be downloaded HERE, but the key lessons from LA are these, according to the paper:
Support for transit projects in large geographic areas requires bundling with road improvements. To elicit broad-based support for Measure R, participants in the campaign early on decided that a mix of rail and bus transit and highway projects was necessary. A multi-modal approach made it possible to provide benefits across LA County, since not all areas could benefit from the transit improvements. The expenditure plan was carefully calibrated to make sure that no part of the county could say that they were not receiving any benefit.
Coalitions of unusual bedfellows are more effective.Zane’s success in bringing together representatives from the environmental, labor, and business communities, who had never worked together before and literally had never visited each others’ offices, and getting them to agree to collaborate, sent a powerful signal to decision-makers. As a result, elected officials, including the Mayor and Metro board members, realized that tackling the transportation revenue problem in 2008 had legs, which brought to the table not only their support but also their leadership.
Polling is a crucial tool in campaign development and implementation. The various polls conducted by Metro, the Mayor, Move LA, and Yes on Measure R helped convince Metro and others to initiate the campaign, shaped the exact language of the ballot question, and perfected the public message used to round up support for the measure. County Supervisor Yaroslavsky, whose support was seen by many as critical, remained non-committal until Move LA conducted a poll and Metro confirmed its results with its own poll. The Mayor, in turn, conducted a third poll, before he got on board. Likewise, the carefully crafted public message, that took into account voters interests and concerns and was so important to the close result, could not have been developed without polling.
A charismatic leader can get the ball rolling and help overcome adversity. While the circumstances in 2007 clearly were ripe for a transportation finance campaign, someone had to convene the stakeholders. It is fair to say that without Zane there would not have been a Measure R campaign. Zane’s ability to bring people together and his willingness to take a risk kick started this effort and likely carried it through.
Legal hurdles can be overcome despite a tight ballot timeline. Leaders did not give up when faced with hurdles ranging from LA County’s refusal to consolidate the ballot to the legislative changes required to allow the duration of the sales tax to be extended and to permit Metro to collect taxes. While these obstacles seemed insurmountable on a tight deadline, the time constraints ultimately worked in the campaign’s favor, motivating the legislature to respond quickly.
Support for transit projects in large geographic areas requires bundling with road improvements. To elicit broad-based support for Measure R, participants in the campaign early on decided that a mix of rail and bus transit and highway projects was necessary. A multi-modal approach made it possible to provide benefits across LA County, since not all areas could benefit from the transit improvements. The expenditure plan was carefully calibrated to make sure that no part of the county could say that they were not receiving any benefit.
Coalitions of unusual bedfellows are more effective.Zane’s success in bringing together representatives from the environmental, labor, and business communities, who had never worked together before and literally had never visited each others’ offices, and getting them to agree to collaborate, sent a powerful signal to decision-makers. As a result, elected officials, including the Mayor and Metro board members, realized that tackling the transportation revenue problem in 2008 had legs, which brought to the table not only their support but also their leadership.
Polling is a crucial tool in campaign development and implementation. The various polls conducted by Metro, the Mayor, Move LA, and Yes on Measure R helped convince Metro and others to initiate the campaign, shaped the exact language of the ballot question, and perfected the public message used to round up support for the measure. County Supervisor Yaroslavsky, whose support was seen by many as critical, remained non-committal until Move LA conducted a poll and Metro confirmed its results with its own poll. The Mayor, in turn, conducted a third poll, before he got on board. Likewise, the carefully crafted public message, that took into account voters interests and concerns and was so important to the close result, could not have been developed without polling.
A charismatic leader can get the ball rolling and help overcome adversity. While the circumstances in 2007 clearly were ripe for a transportation finance campaign, someone had to convene the stakeholders. It is fair to say that without Zane there would not have been a Measure R campaign. Zane’s ability to bring people together and his willingness to take a risk kick started this effort and likely carried it through.
Legal hurdles can be overcome despite a tight ballot timeline. Leaders did not give up when faced with hurdles ranging from LA County’s refusal to consolidate the ballot to the legislative changes required to allow the duration of the sales tax to be extended and to permit Metro to collect taxes. While these obstacles seemed insurmountable on a tight deadline, the time constraints ultimately worked in the campaign’s favor, motivating the legislature to respond quickly.
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