League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Measure F New Library Building City of Gilroy Bond Measure - 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 10,029 / 69.09% Yes votes ...... 4,487 / 30.91% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure F

Arguments Against Measure F

YES on F - Build a Seismically-Safe Library for Gilroy! Consider the facts: Independent engineering experts confirm the Library does NOT meet today's seismic safety standards required for libraries. The Library was built in 1975, when Gilroy's population was 15,000. Now over 51,000, our population is expected to reach 70,000 by the year 2020. Library collections have grown from 57,000 items in 1975 to 147,000 items today. Our library building no longer accommodates our growing population. YES on F BUILDS A NEW, SEISMICALLY-SAFE LIBRARY for Gilroy residents to use for years to come. YES on F builds a library centrally located to public transit, the Senior Center, and City Hall. YES on F builds a library that will serve students from 16 different schools. There is no help coming from Sacramento or anywhere else. Over the past decade, the City of Gilroy applied for several state grants for the library, but was passed over for libraries even older than ours. It's up to us. YES on F gives us LOCAL CONTROL. By law, YES on F requires every dime be used to construct a seismically-safe library for Gilroy. Over half of Library users are students. Our children must get the educational opportunities they deserve. YES on F provides space for: Library homework centers to help students with schoolwork More books, magazines, and online resources for kids and seniors Cooperative programs between the Library and School District Four times as many computers and printers New rooms for children's programs YES on F includes strong fiscal accountability, with annual audits and Independent Citizens Oversight to monitor spending, guaranteeing funds are spent as promised. Join a unanimous City Council, local teachers, firefighters, and Friends of the Library in voting YES on F for a seismically-safe Gilroy Library. Visit http://www.Library4Gilroy.com for information. /s/ Jay Baksa Co-chair Library 4 Gilroy Committee /s/ Eleanor Villarreal Children & Youth Advocate 40 year Gilroy Resident /s/ Gene K. Sakahara Retired Teacher & Principal of Rod Kelley Elementary School /s/ Ric Heinzen Local Business Owner 45 yr. Gilroy Resident /s/ Cecilia Del Buono Weymouth California State Women of the Year (Assembly Dist. 28), 44 year Gilroy Resident Rebuttal to Arguments For Vote NO on Measure F. The existing building for the Gilroy Library may not meet current earthquake standards, but it stood just fine through the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. Very few of the buildings and homes in Gilroy meet the current extremely stringent earthquake standards. Are we going to replace them all? The library is no longer a collection of books. Instead, the vast majority of "items" checked out to patrons are CD's, DVD's and other media. We enjoy a good movie as much as anyone, but we do not believe it is an appropriate function of government to provide free entertainment. Measure F does not give us local control. The library is part of the Santa Clara Library System, and will remain under the control of the Joint Powers Authority and under the thumb of the American Library Association. In spite of the fact that over half of the library's patrons are children, the library has for the last twelve years refused to adopt a policy prohibiting the viewing of pornography on library internet terminals. The economic outlook is troubled. Bonds need to be paid back. In Gilroy on the November ballot we are being asked to approve more than a billion dollars in bonds, plus a one-eighth cent sales tax increase. California is already deep in debt, purely because various branches of government have no self-control when it comes to spending tax dollars. Vote NO on Measure F. /s/ Mark A. Zappa Member, Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association 20 Year Gilroy Resident /s/ Cynthia Walker 20 year citizen of Gilroy /s/ Susan Hamilton 15 Year Gilroy resident

Once again, the financially stressed citizens of Gilroy are being asked to give an even larger part of their shrinking income to a government facility or project. Back in May, the City of Gilroy put out to bid a contract to sell yet another library bond. That $20,000 contract did not give the city the answers it wanted. Just last week, the Gilroy City Council approved $20,000 more to hire a firm to further manipulate the citizens of Gilroy into further voluntary debt by more deceptive polling and scare tactics. A bond is the worst way to pay for anything. It is like using your MasterCard to pay your VISA, with one big difference. When you die, so does your credit card bill, but with a bond, your children and their children will be paying for these bills for decades. While foreclosures on homes continue and families are struggling to keep roofs over their heads, insatiable government agencies want to add another straw to the camel's back. Considering the large drop in usage of the public libraries since the advent of the internet, considering $4.00 per gallon gasoline, considering tumbling home values and already out of control debt, it seems like an incredibly poor time to ask an overtaxed and overburdened citizenry to pay another dime. The library already has a budget and should learn to live within it as we all do with our home budgets. No doubt this bond campaign will be represented by well known and wealthy citizens and they will tug on your heartstrings with calls for earthquake safety and "for the children" mottos. Now is not the time for any new bond or tax. Please vote no on the Library Bond. /s/ Mark A. Zappa Businessman and Member, Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association 20 Year resident of Gilroy Rebuttal to Arguments Against The opponent's argument is simply outrageous rhetoric. Shouldn't our children, seniors and community have the right environment for learning, in a seismically-safe library? YES on F - Our Library's Future! FACT: Gilroy's Library - built in 1975 - does NOT meet current earthquake safety standards, and the library is full of users and overcrowded throughout any given day. FACT: It'll only get more expensive to build a larger library as construction costs increase in the future. Passing Measure F now ensures we have a seismically-safe library that accommodates our growing population - and costs LESS than it would to repair the current one. YES on F is our best opportunity to build a seismically-safe library meeting current and future community needs. FACT: In the Internet Age, Gilroy citizens continue to depend on our library! Library usage has increased 50% since 1994. Almost 70% of Gilroy voters used Gilroy's Library in the past year. FACT: Independent financial experts, involved in hundreds of public bonds, worked closely with our community to ensure Measure F is a financially responsible Library Improvement Plan. Bond financing is an industry standard - it's just like buying a house - and is how the current library was financed and built. FACT: Independent audits and Citizens' Oversight ensure Measure F expenses are controlled and funds spent ONLY on a seismically-safe library. There is no other budget to build a larger library - we must take control. Visit http://www.Library4Gilroy.com and join the many YES on F supporters throughout our community. /s/ Janice L. Krahenbuhl Teacher of the Year 2005 /s/ Dion Bracco Mayor Pro Tem /s/ Maria Elena De La Garza Deputy Director - MACSA /s/ Arturo R. Amaro Fire Capt. City of Gilroy /s/ Steve Morrow Gilroy Police officer 31 years.

Tax Rate Statement from the City of Gilroy

An election will be held in the City of Gilroy (the "City") on November 4, 2008, on the question of issuing bonds in the principal amount of $37,000,000 to finance library facilities as described in the bond measure. If the bonds are approved, the City expects to sell the bonds in [one/multiple] series. Principal and interest on the bonds will be paid from taxes levied on taxable property in the City. The following tax rate information is given to comply with Sections 9400-9404 of the Elections Code of the State of California. Based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement: 1. The best estimate of the tax rate that would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $0.0116 per $100 of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2009-10. 2. The best estimate of the tax rate that would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue during the first fiscal year after the last sale of the bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $0.0362 per $100 of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2010-11. 3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate that would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing this statement, is $0.0362 per $100 of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2010-11. 4. The best estimate of the average annual tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue over the entire life of the bond debt service, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $0.0260 per $100 of assessed valuation. The final fiscal year in which a tax is anticipated to be collected is 2039-40. Voters should note that the estimated tax rates are based on the assessed value of taxable property on the County's official tax rolls, not on the property's market value. In addition, taxpayers eligible for a property tax exemption, such as the homeowner's exemption, will be taxed at a lower effective tax rate than described above. Certain taxpayers may also be eligible to postpone payment of taxes. Property owners should consult their own property tax bills and the County Assessor to determine their property's assessed value and any applicable tax exemptions. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated, due to variations from these estimates in the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold and market interest rates at the time of each sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The estimates are based upon the City's projections and are not binding upon the City. The dates of sale and the amount of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the City based on the need for construction funds and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of each sale. Actual future assessed valuation will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the City as determined by the County Assessor in the annual assessment and the equalization process.