At 12:45pm on Tuesday, May 29th, the Right To Vote on Desal (RTVOD) Coalition will rally at Santa Cruz City Hall and turn-in over 8,000 petition signatures to City officials to tabulate and certify. The event will highlight the unprecedented level of citizen and water ratepayer support to place the historic measure on the November ballot, which would require voter approval for the construction of a desalination plant.

In mid-February, volunteers began circulating the petition among city voters to obtain 5,442 valid signatures within the 180 days required to qualify the initiative. Despite high-visibility attempts by both desalination backers and political insiders to defeat the community-driven petition campaign, the RTVOD Coalition surpassed the required number of signatures in less than four months.

If passed in the November election, the Charter Amendment would guarantee the community the right to make the final decision on the controversial regional seawater desalination project. Most importantly, a Charter Amendment can only be approved by the people and cannot be reversed by the City Council.

Read More | Previous Coverage: Campaign Kicks Off for Voters' Right to Decide on Desalination in Santa Cruz