How I’m voting for the environment on Nov. 7, 2006, for the City of Santa Monica. Here are my votes for the state-level propositions and for the state-level offices.

My vote on Measure BB: Yes

If Measure BB passes, the Santa Monica-Maliby Unified School District would issue 268 million of bonds for a number of upgrades and repairs for the school district, including bringing old schools up to today’s seismic safety standards, removing asbestos and mold, and building better science and tech labs.

This would cost homeowners about $30 per $100,000 in assessed value. No money from the bond can be used for salaries or administration, and a Citizens Oversight Committee will be formed to ensure funds’re only used for authorized projects.

The bond has broad-based support; many different PTAs and education orgs, the League of Women Voters, and the Santa Monica City Council are all for it.

Those against say Malibu will be short-changed, as a lot of money will go to ease overcrowding in Santa Monica schools. Basically, the argument’s that a lot of rich people in Malibu pay a lot of taxes, but a good portion of those taxes go to Santa Monica, where more people live and where we have more low-income housing. My take is that if there’s overcrowding at some schools, we should try and ease it. It’s all one school district, after all.

The opponents say they also don’t want higher taxes, and that we already have a couple bonds — Measures S ($225 per parcel) and Y ($111.63 per parcel) — that we’re still paying for. However, these measures will run out in 2009 and 2011, respectively. (more on that here) I think we can handle an extra $30 per parcel — and that our schools need it.

And since those against also fret that the money might be wasted, perhaps some of them might join the Citizens Oversight Board to make sure the money’s well spent?

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