League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Cruz County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Measure B Communications Users Tax Ordinance Unincorporated Area Majority Approval Required Fail: 31,313 / 49.07% Yes votes ...... 32,501 / 50.93% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure B

Arguments Against Measure B

You will probably only call 911 once in your life...but when you do every second will count. The men and women who serve in law enforcement, as firefighters and as paramedics will be there at a moment's notice, but only if the 911 Emergency Response System is the best it can be. When someone's life or health is at stake, the first minutes are the ones that matter most. Funding for 911 call centers and public safety communications systems are essential for public safety. Without adequate funding there will be fewer 911 dispatch operators to answer your calls. Fewer 911 dispatch operators means that calls will take longer to respond to, and precious moments will be lost. The 911 Emergency Response System cannot operate at its current high standard without Measure B. What if: You wake up in the middle of the night and smell smoke. You call 911 and get put on hold. Or - You are awakened by the sound of an intruder in your home and call 911, and the phone rings and rings and rings. And consider the expense and trauma that would result if a first responder could not be there for you in time, such as: The cost of replacing your burned-out home -- $$ The cost of a medical emergency -- $$ The cost of restoring your vandalized property -- $$ And most importantly, The loss of a life that could have been saved. Measure B continues an existing $1.47 per line charge. This is a small price to pay for the safety and security of you and your family. When you dial 911, every second is crucial. Support Public Safety. Vote YES on Measure B. s/ Steve Robbins Sheriff-Coroner, County of Santa Cruz s/ Melody MacDonald Dispatcher of the Year and 2008 Red Cross Community Hero s/ Betsy McCarty Chief of Public Health (Retired) Santa Cruz County Health Services s/ Gary W. Smith Fire Chief (Retired), Aptos + La Selva Fire Protection District and Watsonville Fire Department s/ Brenda V. Brenner Paramedic and Director of Operations for American Medical Response Rebuttal to Arguments For This tax is not about police, fire and medical respondents. They receive their salaries and support from other sources of money. This phone tax is about county representatives taking money out of your wallet to fatten their County General Fund, not to support the state-mandated emergency response answering service ALREADY paid for by California phone users. Promoters of Measure B are using threats and intimidation to extort more money from you or else when you call 9-1-1, you "get put on hold" or "the phone rings and rings and rings." Fear: an emotional response to threats and danger. Protection racket: where a powerful individual coerces other less powerful individuals to pay protection money to purchase "protection" services against various external threats. Are promoters of Measure B using your fear of an impending emergency to advance this protection racket? Cal State 9-1-1 fees are on our telephone bills + local, long distance, internet and cell phone connection. If this "general tax" proposal actually went into a dedicated 9-1-1 call center fund, would it amount to double-taxation? WE are NOW paying a STATE TELEPHONE TAX to support 9-1-1 emergency call centers. VOTE NO on Measure B Santa Cruz County Libertarian Party s/Patrick Dugan, Chairperson

The tax imposed by Measure B is for the purpose of raising revenues for the general governmental purposes of the County. All of the proceeds from the tax shall be placed in the County's general fund and used for the usual current expenses of the County including, but not limited to, public safety communication services. What Measure B does not tell you: The 911 emergency telephone number system is supported by the state through the Revenue and Taxation Code §41030 which states: "The Department of General Services shall determine annually, on or before September 1, a surcharge rate that it estimates will produce sufficient revenue to fund the current fiscal year's 911 costs." Local governments can access the State 911 fund to get their expenses reimbursed for the costs associated with their 911 communication systems. Local governments can use the State 911 fund to get their expenses reimbursed for wireless 911 infrastructure. Emergency 911 funds are not intended to fund dispatch centers or pay the salaries of police personnel. The existing 911 state surcharge is used to pay for local services that are strictly defined by the California Department of General Services' 911 program office. It is a dramatic expansion for fees to exceed the costs of providing those 911 services. Under state law, E-911 is an emergency communications system, not an emergency response system. The fee is intended to ensure that there is an emergency communications system that allows people to complete calls for help. Vote NO on Measure B Santa Cruz County Libertarian Party s/ Patrick Dugan, Chairperson Rebuttal to Arguments Against Clear communication is critical. Here is what Measure B will do. Measure B continues a local revenue source for the County's 911 emergency response dispatch system and public safety services. State funding is simply not available for these critical services. Measure B will ensure that our emergency communication system is the best it can be. In the past three years, the Santa Cruz County 911 Center has received State reimbursement funding totaling less than 2% of the amount required to adequately fund the emergency response system. Over 90% of the funds generated by a State surcharge (averaging approximately $0.17 per telephone line per month) are used by the State to pay AT&T for statewide telephone routing equipment. The State does not pay for any of the local costs for answering our 911 calls and dispatching law enforcement, fire, medical, and rescue responders to those in need. A phone may ring under the State system, but no one will be there to answer it. Measure B is necessary to help pay for over 98% of the total cost of the 911 emergency response system in Santa Cruz County. Measure B is our community's security system to ensure that protection is there for you and your family, any time of the day or night. Vote Yes on Measure B. s/ Terry B. Lapid, M.D. Emergency Services, Dominican Hospital s/ Tom Crosser Fire Chief s/ Caroline Bliss-Isberg Director (Retired), Cabrillo College Stroke Center s/ Nancy Macy Member, Board of Directors, The Valley Women's Club s/ Michael J. McDougall Former General Manager, Santa Cruz Consolidated Emergency Communications Center