People are saying "no I won’t sign that referendum" for a lot of different reasons:

because this will be the first green-construction hotel in the state…
because it’ll produce millions of dollars in city funds for seniors and children, parks and recreation, police and fire…
because it’ll improve beach access…
because it’ll be a shot in the arm for local business…
because it can be a beachfront anchor for real public transit and high density affordable housing and cultural and commercial development between downtown and the pier...
because it’ll get rid the worst eyesore on the shoreline of the whole central coast…
because a referendum would cost a hundred thousand dollars in taxpayers money.

Another reason to say "no I won’t sign" is because we care for working families.

In this town and in these times, when so many families are forced to move away or see our children move away because they can’t make ends meet… we’ve got to think seriously about creating good jobs.

The new hotel will provide more union jobs, with year-round employment and health care in place of the seasonal jobs there now, and the owners have put up a million dollars to tide the workers over during construction… And all the construction will be done with local union labor… with good pay and benefits and a voice at work.

All things considered there has never been a better proposal than the one before us now.

So we Santa Cruzans have got to ask ourselves… is there such a things as good development? Because if there is, this is it.

Do we want our town to become a showcase for good green union development? Because if we do, this is our chance.

So please join the labor movement in saying no to the referendum against the Coast Hotel.

in solidarity-

Paul Johnston
Monterey Bay CLC