Sample Letter:

Santa Cruz City Council
809 Center St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Dear City Council Members,

I do not support widening Highway One and I do not support the deal proposed by Mayor Kennedy.

While I appreciate the effort to acquire the rail right of way, endorsing anything resembling the current sales tax plan is not the way to go about it. Less than 10% of the money raised by the plan is slated to go towards sustainable transportation.

The rail trail and the highway should not be tied together. Why spend 330 million dollars to widen a highway in exchange for the acquisition of a rail right of way that we already have the money for? A large majority of the citizens of Santa Cruz County already support the acquisition of the rail corridor and that is reason enough for our public servants to buy it.

I do not support widening the Highway because it will not reduce congestion. It will encourage sprawl style development, waste 330 million dollars in an economically difficult time, and contribute to global warming. Those who stand to gain from widening the Highway are the corporations that gain from sprawl style development.

On April 27th, please act on my behalf by sending a clear message to Mayor Kennedy and other Highway widening proponents -- "No deal."

Sincerely,