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Santa Cruz County Sentinel

• Measure U opponents raise four times more than backers 10/31/00

The quality of life in Santa Cruz depends on providing a safe environment for children. A Yes vote for Measure U will provide money to protect the most vulnerable children, those whose families are temporarily homeless.

Measure U will increase the Transient Occupancy Tax paid by tourists for rooms in local hotels and motels. The money will let Santa Cruz finally establish a year-round shelter serving the truly needy.

Families become homeless for many different reasons: job loss, high rent, or just plain mistakes by parents in crisis. Whatever the reason, their children are certainly the innocent victims of circumstances beyond their own control.

What can we do? Vote Yes on Measure U to provide a special shelter dedicated to families with children. Instead of mattresses on the floor in a room full of strangers, a family shelter will have the warmth, safety, and privacy a family with young children needs.

Will this really help? Santa Cruz can't solve homelessness on our own. But Measure U will allow our community to be compassionate without being wasteful. Measure U will put money right where it will help most. Services and shelter for families. The opportunity to bounce back and make a healthy future for innocent children. A chance for parents to protect their children with dignity and self-respect.

Will this hurt the local tourist industry? No. The increase in the hotel/motel room tax would increase the cost of a night's stay in Santa Cruz by one or two dollars. In our booming economy this painless increase wouldn't affect anyone's travel plans. Let's ask our visitors to make a small contribution toward breaking the cycle of homelessness in Santa Cruz.

Help families in crisis get back on their feet. Vote Yes on Measure U.

s/ George Ow, Jr., Businessman

s/ Geoffrey Dunn, Author/Activist

s/ Rowland K. Rebele, Consultant/Newspapers

s/ Neal Coonerty, Business Owner

s/ Maynard Manson, Housing Developer

Measure U mandates spending for homeless SERVICES, NOT for a shelter FACILITY. Funds will go to general homeless services WITH NO GUARANTEE that any of the funds would actually go TO FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN.

Measure U permits REDUCED general fund SPENDING on existing homeless services.

The city council could LEGALLY REDUCE OR ELIMINATE current spending for HOMELESS SERVICES in order to fund one of its pet projects.

A 12% TAX WILL HURT SMALL BUSINESSES AND THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES who make up the hospitality industry.

The city council hastily placed this measure on the ballot without conducting even one economic impact study. Moreover, the council ignored research by the American Economic Group that confirmed increases in TOT could actually reduce city revenues and thus some services for its residents. This measure makes Santa Cruz non-competitive for valued overnight visitors. The nearby cities of MONTEREY AND SAN JOSE with expensive convention centers and airport facilities DO NOT TAX THEIR OVERNIGHT VISITORS 12%.

IS THIS THE RIGHT APPROACH?

HOMELESS SERVICES is an entire community concern, NOT A TOURIST TAXING MATTER. WE OUGHT TO FOCUS RESOURCES TOWARD AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND LESS TRAFFIC CONGESTION for all who live and work here. Don't be fooled by EMPTY PROMISES. VOTE NO on MEASURE U.

s/ Ted Burke, Local Restaurateur,Commissioner, California Travel and Tourism Commission

s/ Robert Barandas, Non-Profit Marketing Director,Seabright Resident

s/ Matt Twisselman, President, Beach Area Business Association; Owner, Twisselman Enterprises

s/ Michael Schmidt, Member, Santa Cruz Homeless Working Group

s/ Karen Darling, Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper,Vice President, Santa Cruz Lodging Association

DON’T KILL THE GOLDEN GOOSE --- Tourism and the Hospitality Industry are the largest private-sector employers and major revenue generators for our community. More importantly, they are also one of the largest employers of women and minorities. This year alone, Transient Occupancy Tax contributed nearly $3,500,000 to the City of Santa Cruz. An unwarranted Tax increase could threaten the ability to provide basic services for everyone.

HOTEL TAX HIKE IS A BAD IDEA

Santa Cruz City Council: The council should kill its plan to increase the hotel tax.

"There are so many problems with this proposal that the council should apply the brakes on its careening ride to fiscal irresponsibility.

The council has misread the public will and is not serving its constituency….it wants to raise the hotel tax from 10 percent to 12 percent, a 20 percent increase (not 2 percent, as the council falsely claims.)

The hotel tax proposal is being rushed through the city process… That’s no way for a responsible body to act. Democracy just can’t be rushed."

Santa Cruz Sentinel, 7/25/2000.

WE DESERVE BETTER --- We deserve a council that listens to the local community. According to the recent City of Santa Cruz survey, our two most pressing problems are: Traffic and Affordable Housing. The council should address these top priority matters first. Let’s bring people together to solve our problems --- not pit them against one another. Please help send a message that we deserve better government.

VOTE NO on MEASURE U

s/ Lorette Wood, Former Mayor of Santa Cruz, Director, Goodwill Industries

s/ Bob Munsey, Owner, Crow's Nest Restaurant; Past President, Santa Cruz Harbor Business Association

s/ Pattie Carta, General Manager, Westcoast Santa Cruz Hotel; Board Member, Santa Cruz County Lodging Association

s/ Bruce Morse, Vice President, Local 270 Laborers' International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, Retiree Council

s/ Alice Ponza, Co-Chair, COLAB Coalition of Labor-Agriculture-Business

Measure U is a pay-as-you-go approach to providing a service desperately needed by more than 300 Santa Cruz families a year. A recent study by the United Way found that more families are in need than ever before. Most homeless families are not transient but have lived in Santa Cruz for at least five years. And most of them have jobs!

Many California cities currently tax hotel rooms at 12 percent or even higher, and none of them have lost tourist business as a result.

Every penny raised by this tax is guaranteed to be used to fund homeless services, including, but not limited to shelter. An oversight committee, including a member of the tourism industry, will ensure that these dollars are used for these purposes.

The current economic boom has pushed the cost of basic housing beyond what many working people can afford, and many families live only one paycheck away from homelessness. Measure U will raise the average night's stay in Santa Cruz by less than $2.00 but will return dignity, hope and health to families in crisis. We can not ask for a better return.

The opponents are using this issue for their own political gain. Let's get back to the real point: providing a permanent, year-round shelter for homeless families with children. Measure U is something the people of Santa Cruz can do for families in crisis, without playing political games.

Preserve the quality of life in Santa Cruz. Vote Yes on Measure U.

s/ Don Hubbard, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Harvey West Area Association

s/ Chris Johnson-Lyons, Executive Director, Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.

s/ Lois R. Muhly, Retired Teacher

s/Jane Weed-Pomerantz, former Mayor of Santa Cruz

s/ Kaitilin Gaffney, Program Director, Center for Marine Conservation