AnonymousBy an edhat reader
With all of the conversations about spending Measure C funds this week, I thought it could be interesting to see what the arguments were back in 2017, pro and con for Measure C.
Then 56% voted in favor so I’ve attached a page of the pros and cons. It is an important discussion…. https://ballotpedia.org/Santa_Barbara,_California,_Sales_Tax,_Measure_C_(November_2017)
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[5]
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Your YES vote on Measure C will ensure that the Santa Barbara has the funding to Maintain police, fire, and 911 emergency medical response, AND repair local streets and potholes, upgrade outdated emergency communication systems, and ensure our police station and neighborhood fire stations are accessible and functional in a natural disaster. Over the past five years, the State has taken more than $20 million a year ($100 million so far) in City funding to help balance the state budget. There simply are not enough local financial resources to repair critical infrastructure and continue to provide the essential services that residents need and want. Our roads and buildings are crumbling, and are only becoming more expensive to fix. Now is the time to act. The Santa Barbara City Council has surveyed residents and established that the top priorities for funding are:
Official Arguments against The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[5] “ Vote NO on the proposed 1% sales tax. Revenue from the proposed tax will have no restrictions whatsoever on how it can be spent – salaries, pensions, water, public artwork, homeless housing, anything. In other words, it might not be used to improve our roads and build a new police station at all. The only way to ensure tax dollars are spent for street improvements and a new police station is to specify that in a future initiative approved by you. I urge you to vote “No” on this measure. Then in the future we can bring forward another initiative that will ensure the proceeds will be spent for what we need better streets and a new police station. Also, today’s tax proposal has no end, or “sunset”, clause. We could be taxed forever. That alone should make you vote, “no,” to this sales tax proposal.[4] ”
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Footnotes 4 and 5:
4. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
5. Voters Edge, “City of Santa Barbara Measure C,” accessed September 22, 2017
Thanks for posting! I recall this campaign, voted in favor but was concerned about ‘mission creep’ for spending the sales tax. There is a Measure C citizens oversight committee, https://santabarbaraca.gov/citizens-oversight-committee/citizens-oversight-committee-agendas-documents. It meets once or twice/year, the last time being last October.
You should know that “citizen oversight” is a euphemism for “cover,” These oversight groups have no resource to investigate or document what is happening. They rely solely on the agency for their information and, even if they should want to look further they have no power to compel answers or research the issue.
Thank you for posting this! It might be good to send it to Randy Rouse since he was an original supporter as a reminder of what he said the funds would be used for.
Pay very close attention to what is happening. Up until now, Measure C has been used largely for maintenance project and designing the new police station. There has been a good firewall between measure C and funding day to day operations, which includes salaries benefits and pensions. But this year due to funding shortfalls, some are arguing that Measure C should be used for general fund activities.
Once that happens, measure c funds effectively are being used for pensions which is exactly what the “against “ argument earned is about.
^^warned us about
Good points, Sensibly Common! At last night’s City Council meeting, the effort by library proponents to fund the deficit via Measure C funds instead became funding by drawing on the City’s Reserves. I am a strong proponents of public libraries, thinking that they are first and foremost collections of books and other media (including, of course, digital) for people to use and peruse freely; and the building in which they are housed is, of course, the library.
Santa Maria has a wonderful library, always a pleasure to visit; Goleta’s is a delight, although, small; Santa Barbara’s under the present admin. has illusions of grandeur which has ranked books as not-so-important as compared with the open space outside. And, it sometimes seems, inside, too.
…NEWSFLASH…!!!!
Your State of California Legislators just passed a Bill to GIVE (FREE) California taxpayer funds to ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS… Yes folks, those State Representatives are going to pay $300 per week for up to Twenty Weeks to ANY UNEMPLOYED ILLEGAL MIGRANT IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA- Who said we don’t have money to burn in budget ravaged CA. So if you know anyone who gets paid to work under the table, they can receive an extra $1200 a month to send back to their families…
Don’t forget they used Measure C money to house the homeless at the Rose Garden Inn to the tune of $3 Millon!!