THE SKINNY FROM CO$T October 27

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT COST?   HOW CAN YOU HELP?
This skinny monthly bulletin takes only one minute to read.

Help wanted: MMWD Board Candidates and Campaign Volunteers
COST is recruiting and developing candidates to run against members of the Marin Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors whose terms expire November 2022.  MMWD is failing to fulfil its primary responsibility to plan for and provide an adequate, dependable water supply.  Contact us ASAP with candidate ideas or to volunteer to help our candidates get elected.  To effect change, join our team!

Act now: A Special Challenge Grant Benefits CO$T and GFC! 
CO$T recently hosted a webinar — excellent video here — featuring  David Crane, President of Govern for California, to talk about the legislative sausage-making in Sacramento.  It isn’t pretty.  David tied California’s runaway taxes and declining services to influence pedaling: special interests’ large campaign contributions to state legislators. Fortunately, GFC is an increasingly powerful counterweight, steering large donations to legislators who better represent the general interest of Californians.   We’re excited to announce a special opportunity for you to double your impact on better government.  Every dollar you donate to GFC this month will be matched by an equal donation to CO$T, thanks to the generosity of one of our supporters.  Click here to donate to GFC.  Then Contact CO$T to let us know the amount of your GFC contribution.  Act now!

Truth and Consequences of CA’s New Housing Laws: CO$T  hosted a free webinar on October 25 at 1:15 pm with some real star power: CA Sen. Mike McGuire; CA Assembly Member Marc Levine; ABAG Exec. Com. Member and Novato Mayor Pat Eklund; and California Catalysts for Local Control Founder Susan Kirsch will be discussing the impacts of statewide housing legislation that diminishes local control over new projects. Marin Independent Journal’s political commentator, Dick Spotswood, moderated.  A full description and video are on our home page.

Direct Your Sales Tax Dollars via a 2 minute survey. 
CO$T is working to ensure that any renewal of Marin County Parks and Open space ¼ cent sales tax (Measure A) is rebalanced to favor the most urgent current needs.  CO$T’s position is that if the sales tax is to be renewed, a much larger percentage must be spent on reducing the accumulated fire-prone fuel load in Open Space.  Conversely, our money should stop being spent on subsidizing private farmland (e.g., the scandal-plagued Marin Agricultural Land Trust); and less money spent on new open space acquisition (until the county is able to safely manage the wildly overgrown property it already owns).  Fill in the Parks administration’s short survey to tell them how you want your sales tax money spent.

YOU can steer Bezos’ riches to CO$T:
Sign up for the free AmazonSmile program and designate the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers Foundation as your favorite charity.  Anytime you shop on their platform we will receive 0.5% of the amount you spend.

That’s it for now, we’ll be back in touch soon!

Mimi, Paul, Kingston, Laura, Doug, Lucy and Carsten