League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Contra Costa County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Measure U Transactions and Use Tax City of Richmond Majority Approval Required Pass: 10699 / 55.20% Yes votes ...... 8683 / 44.80% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure U	Arguments Against Measure U
Due to the slower than expected economic recovery, Richmond's City Council was forced to make a $7,500,000 cut to the 2014 budget for fixing potholes, police, firefighters, libraries, and parks/recreation. Bring back these basic vital services. Vote Yes on Measure U, the 1/2% Sales Tax increase. Like you, we don't like paying taxes. But businesses, out of town shoppers, and rich people making luxury purchases pay the lion's share of the Sales Tax. Average Richmond residents pay only a few more pennies a day, because the main expenses of living are exempt (rent, groceries, medicine, utilities, etc.) Like you, we don't support taxes making government bigger. But Measure U merely restores vital services cut from Richmond's 2014 Budget due to the slow recovery. And the sad truth is that we don't really have a choice. Richmond has cut administrators, shifted health and pension payments to employees, and cut the Council's budget. Richmond (like many other Cities) has not only cut the fat, but cut the muscle. Employees have voluntarily cut their pay and are "busting their butts" to continue to provide the same services with less employees. You get what you pay for. It's your choice: a few more pennies a day for the Sales Tax, or losing: $3,750,000/ year for pothole repair $2,250,000/year for police $500,000/year for firefighters $500,000/year for libraries $500,000/year for parks/recreation The City Council 2014 Budget plans to use Sales Tax money, if Measure U passes, to reverse these catastrophic budget cuts. Our parents' generation didn't disrespect us by permitting decimated police and fire services, out of control potholes, and second rate library and parks/recreation programs. Let's not be the generation that gave up on our kids...and ourselves. Vote Yes on Measure U. Jim Rogers, Councilmember, City of Richmond Richmond Police Officers Association, Hector Esparza, President Myrtle Braxton, President, Laurel Park Neighborhood Council Richmond Firefighters Local 188, Mark Cisneros, Secretary-Treasurer Linda Jackson-Whitmore, Chair, Santa Fe Business,Outreach Committee Rebuttal to Arguments For Lack of Oversight: Another reason to vote NO. The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association recommends voters to oppose Measure U because the sales tax has no sunset clause, nor a citizen oversight committee. 70.5% of the city budget is salaries/benefits. What are you really paying for? What is the city not telling you? It's appalling the city of Richmond levies a permanent hidden pension tax on your property of $140 per $100,000 assessed value. This $13 million annual pension tax goes for pensions, not roads. The city's unfunded OPEB (Other Personnel Employee Benefits) liability is $76.1 million. The city pays $2.3 million per year for a pension obligation bond. What is the guarantee that this general fund tax increase will not be used to pay for spiraling pension, debt, and salary costs? Just say No! The Fire Chief in 2012 made $249,504.46 per year total pay and benefits in Richmond. Do you make this amount? In 2012, over 500 Richmond city employees made over $100,000 per year total pay and benefits. High sales tax is a regressive tax. It hurts the middle class, fixed incomes, and the lower incomes! It will make goods and services priced higher in Richmond than cities with lower sales tax. In comparison, the city of Vacaville, CA has a 7.875% sales tax. Lack of Oversight: Another reason to vote NO on Measure U. Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, Alex Aliferis, Executive Director	Lack of Oversight: one reason to vote NO. The sales tax measure will increase Richmond's existing sales tax from 9.0% to 9.5%. There is no sunset clause (tax expiration date) or citizen oversight committee. The city will reach its 1% sales tax cap with this measure. The city is allowed a 1% sales tax cap by state law. The city of Richmond has a 15% average unemployment rate. It has flat revenue for the next few years. The city of Richmond, with almost 103,000 residents, has approximately 805 city employees. Concord, with 122,000 residents, has approximately 385 city employees. 70.5% of the city budget is salaries/benefits. The city's unfunded OPEB (Other Personnel Employee Benefits) liability is $76.1 million. The city pays $2.3 million per year for a pension obligation bond. What is the guarantee that this tax will not be used to pay for spiraling pension, debt, and salary costs? General fund tax money can be used for anything. Is this a pension tax? High sales tax is a regressive tax. It hurts the middle class, fixed incomes, and the lower incomes! It will make goods and services priced higher in Richmond than cities with lower sales tax. In comparison, the city of Vacaville, CA has a 7.875% sales tax. The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association recommends voters to oppose Measure U because the sales tax has no sunset clause, nor a citizen oversight committee. Lack of Oversight: one reason to vote NO on Measure U. Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, Alex Aliferis, Executive Director Rebuttal to Arguments Against None of 100,000 Richmond residents filed ballot arguments against Measure U, the 1/2% Sales Tax to restore $7,500,000 budget cuts to vital services like pothole repair, police, firefighters, libraries, and parks/recreation. However, the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, primarily funded by rich out of town businesses, filed an opposition argument. Thanks for proving our point: "businesses, out of town shoppers, and rich people We wonder how this Association, mainly financed by big business, with a Board that apparently has no Richmond residents or employees, feels qualified to protect "the lower incomes" by telling us what to do. Measure U supporters writing this rebuttal live in "lower incomes" neighborhoods and spend (and risk) their lives trying to keep those streets safe. The Association says Richmond has too many employees. We respectfully inquire: which ones? Police? Street repair? Firefighters? Librarians? Youth recreation? We agree with the Association that Richmond "has flat revenue for the next few years." No rich uncle to restore cuts: only Measure U. That's why the famously divided Richmond City Council unanimously put U on your Ballot. So the Association's argument threw out enough red herrings to fill a Blackhawk sized swimming pool: Richmond has more employees than Concord. But Richmond has services (like libraries and Port) that Concord doesn't. Who do you trust? Rich non-local businesses trying to (once again) extract money from Richmond- leaving little behind? Or your Richmond neighbors, Richmond police, and Richmond firefighters? Vote Yes on Measure U. Jim Rogers, Councilmember, City of Richmond Myrtle L. Braxton, President, Laurel Park Neighborhood Council