NO ON MEASURE K
I hope that people will not be fooled again and will vote NO on Measure K. Here is why.
Measure K is a general tax, meaning that the County will use the added revenues (estimated at $10 million annually) for whatever whim the Supervisors want. The County has no responsibility to actually spend the money on matters the Measure K ballot claims to benefit.
They have learned that people are worried about wildfire protection and want our miserable roads fixed, so they craft the ballot to claim the sales tax increase would fund that, but have no intention of keeping that promise.
The Board of Supervisors pulled the same trick in 2018 with Measure G half-cent sales tax increase, claiming nearly the same causes that would be funded…fire, emergency response, road repair….
The 2021-2022 Santa Cruz County Grand Jury investigated the County’s expenditures of the voter-approved Measure G and found the ballot wording was deceitful. ZERO DOLLARS have been allocated to fund County Fire agencies or other emergency responders. Money supposedly earmarked for Aptos Village Park vanished, with County staff explaining that $425,000 promise was only a “recommendation”.
Don’t be tricked again. Vote NO on Measure K. It’s just another trick to grab your money.
Becky Steinbruner, Aptos
MEASURE M SUPPORT
When political rhetoric gets confusing, follow the money trail. Yes on Measure M is grassroots, funded by locals, teachers, students, nurses, not by wealthy, out-of-town developers. Opponents of M have received tens of thousands from developer interests.
Opponents want us to believe that requiring 5% more affordable housing will stop developers from building here. They point to San Francisco where affordable housing requirements were recently lowered, but they neglect to mention the three year limit on the SF decision, and the context that led to it. Development in San Francisco screeched to a halt during the pandemic, when people fled urban centers to places like Santa Cruz- and development here boomed.
If we pass Measure M, residents can decide if they want high-rise buildings downtown or in their neighborhoods. Otherwise, only four city council members will decide for us. If Measure M passes, we will get more affordable housing for essential workers; other cities have this same affordable housing ratio so we know it can work. If M doesn’t pass, the city council will continue to let developers buy their way out of building affordable housing.
Don’t allow the city to sell our future to the highest bidder-vote Yes on M!
K. Durham, Santa Cruz
