Rancho Mirage voters get chance to weigh-in on CV Link debate

Provisional Ballots:

According to one of the candidates running for Rancho Mirage City Council, some residents didn’t get their ballots for the April 12 general municipal election. Election officials said provisional ballots will be available at the city clerk’s office on Tuesday morning for those who didn’t receive a vote-by-mail ballot.

Anyone who didn’t receive their ballot can still cast their vote by visiting the office, located at 69825 Highway 111on Election Day. If you have additional questions, call the clerk’s office at 760-324-8830 or visit the website.

Voters could influence city’s position on the CV Link:

Voters in Rancho Mirage are casting their ballots by mail, ahead of their April 12th election. They’ll be making choices on 4 ballot measures that could influence the city’s position on the CV Link, a 50-mile long running, biking, and electric vehicle path through the valley.

Right now — the Coachella Valley Association of Governments is planning on moving ahead with the project without Rancho Mirage. Mayor Dana Hobart argues the numbers don’t add up when it comes to the CV Link “62 million stays here in the valley, 62 out of 75 million, all this bull**** about it being outside money is just not true,” says Hobart. The estimated cost at nearly 100 million dollars would include a section through his city.

On the other side of the debate — Buildthetraildot.org, the president of the committee against measure 1 and for measures 2, 3 &4, Roger Snoble says “this is a rigged vote meant to not get people’s opinions, but to get people to see things the way the council sees them”. Hobart argues — that’s not true… “some people say, well they’ve loaded the dice, they put in these numbers that are open to question. That’s nonsense.”

Voters are making choices on 4 measures. The first would force a vote of the people to overturn the city’s current ban on neighborhood electric vehicles on main roads. Those vehicles would be a big part of the CV Link. “If you want the CV Link or not, that’s just bad public policy to tie the hands of future councils for any type of measure,” says Hobart. “Let’s let the people decide. if the people want to change it and say yes, we want the CV Link going down 111 and the rest of the streets, they change it, what’s wrong with that? that’s the purest form of democracy.”

The other 3 measures are advisory votes. Measure 2 asks whether voters support the Coachella Valley Association of Governments spending 100 million dollars or more for the project — plus 1.6 million a year to operate it. “It’s sort of an odd question to begin with,” says Snoble. “100 milllion dollars sounds like a lot of money but from a transportation perspective, for a trail that’s going to last 75 years or more it’s really a cost effective type of transportation improvement.”

Hobart disagrees — especially when it comes to measure 3 asking whether voters would approve of the city committing to pay 10’s of thousand dollars a year for operating costs. “Our share has gone from 28,000 in that first year to somewhere between 111,000 and 251,000, says Hobart. “Now you’re talking real money.”

Snoble counters that argument saying other funding may be put into place, to cover operating costs including public private partnerships — possibly even with Goldenvoice — the promoter of the Coachella and Stagecoach Festivals. Hobart’s response to that? “”It’s a bull**** piece of propaganda.”

On the final question on the ballot — voters are asked whether they support using measure A funds — a 1/2 cent sales tax that funds road improvements in the valley — like new freeway interchanges. Snoble says — yes. Hobart believes it’s illegal. “My opinion is it should end up in court, because I’ve read it and my opinion is the stronger argument is it’s illegal.”

“It’s a transportation tax, this is a transportation project,” counters Snoble. “No measure A money has been spent on this and it’s only in the case that they would need to.”

And despite his passionate opposition, Hobart says he’s willing to listen to the people. Voters have until April 12th to mail in their ballots.