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San Joaquin County, CA March 5, 2002 Election
Measure L
Low Rent Housing Projects
County of San Joaquin

48,638 / 58.7% Yes votes ...... 34,216 / 41.3% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments |

Without increasing local taxes, by utilizing federal or State funding, shall public or publicly assisted housing providers, within San Joaquin County, according to the County's General Plan, construct, develop, acquire, rehabilitate and/or convert housing project(s) into decent, safe, sanitary and uncrowded units for low-income, elderly, or handicapped persons, up to 500 units annually, for ten years, with any unused units carried over annually?

Impartial Analysis from County Counsel
The Board of Supervisors of the County of San Joaquin has authorized the Registrar of Voters to place Measure L on the March 5, 2002 ballot. If passed, Measure L will authorize continuation of the County's general authority to develop low-rent housing projects.

The California Constitution provides that a State public agency may not develop, construct, or acquire low-rent housing projects unless approved by a majority of the voters. San Joaquin County and the Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin fall within the definition of a State public agency for this purpose.

In the November 1992 election, the voters of San Joaquin County approved a measure granting the County general authority for a period of ten years to assist up to 500 low-income units per year without conducting a special election for each individual project. Measure L, if approved by a majority of the qualified electors of San Joaquin County voting thereon, extends for another ten years San Joaquin County's general authority to develop low-rent housing projects.

There will be no additional assessment or increase in taxes resulting from Measure L. The conduct of this election will be in conformity with existing laws of the State of California and will not otherwise affect existing law.

  News and Analysis

Stockton Record

Tri-Valley Herald
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Arguments For Measure L Arguments Against Measure L
Federal and State dollars are available to help provide affordable housing for low income residents of the County, including but not limited to blind, elderly and disabled persons. Such housing is in extremely short supply and is urgently needed to meet the needs of local residents. The passage of Measure L will allow public and publicly assisted private providers of housing to construct, acquire, rehabilitate and/or convert a limited but sustainable number of small housing developments for low and moderate-income people. This measure will also help improve existing housing by allowing the rehabilitation of substandard housing throughout the County. Your vote for the measure will help provide the critically needed affordable housing for families, elderly and disabled people of our community who can't afford the skyrocketing cost of housing.

Your vote for Measure L will not add any additional costs to local taxpayers and will help provide critically needed housing.

Submitted by:

/s/ Carol J. Ornelas, Chief Executive Officer ACLC, Inc.
/s/ David P. Brewer, Director, St. Mary's Interfaith Dining Room
/s/ Larry D. Johnson, STAND, Inc.
/s/ Edward G. Figueroa, Co-Director, St. Mary's Interfaith Dining Room

Rebuttal to Arguments For
Vote No on L. It is foolhardy to believe that State or Federal money is a free lunch. Building housing sounds like a laudable goal, until you look at all of the present government paid for shanties, now in tatters and you begin to understand that we taxpayers do not have the money to pay the long term cost.

Vote No on L. This State does not even pay for the state mandated programs foisted on the local taxpayers. For example, the Department of Corrections places criminals in San Joaquin County. Yet they never pay for services for these criminals or for the cost of the destruction caused by these criminals. You will pay for any additional sheriff, fire, schools, medical treatment or code enforcement services engendered by this housing.

Vote No on Measure L. Your wallet is emptied again and again by San Joaquin County, that has never seen a State or Federal program that they did not like, only to find out to late that the long term cost to us taxpayers is never paid for by the federal or state government.

Vote No on Measure L Stop being the door mat for the Bay Area. While the Bay area is gentrified, San Joaquin County residents are traumatized by the out of County malefactors relocating here. Send a message to San Joaquin County Officials that we are tired of being Bay Area's dumping ground. Vote No on Measure L. Protect the Children and your wallets.

Submitted by:

Citizens Against Slum Housing

/s/ Ronald Stein
/s/ Alan Pettet
/s/ Steve Fowler

Vote No on Measure L. Keep the violent criminals out of San Joaquin County. A majority of the Counties in California, have no affordable housing. This County does. Measure L provides even more incentive for additional sexual predators and other violent criminals to move here. Vote No to stop feeding the County's crime industry.

Vote No on Measure L. We cannot afford the strings attached to the government funds. If you vote yes, the County will build the housing, and you and not the State and Federal Government will pay the cost of additional services for out of county criminals, including but not limited to, welfare, drug treatment centers, parolee transitional housing units, parolee shelters and half way housing for registered sex offenders.

Vote No on Measure L. Put an end to this County being used by the Department of Corrections and by Counties as a dumping ground for child molesters, registered sex offenders, prisoners, drug addicts, parolees, and juvenile offenders. Measure L would be yet another reason for the Department of Corrections and other Counties to ship their criminals here.

Vote No on Measure L. This county cannot handle the slums and criminals already here. This County has used your money to pay slum lords rent, to warehouse people in properties infested with as many as forty thousand bats. This County even tried to stop Stockton from enforcing the law and from removing people from the hovels, infested with forty thousand bat and rabid cats. Do not give this county any opportunity to build more housing for sex offenders and violent criminals. Vote No on Measure L to protect the children form more sex predators and more violent criminals.

Submitted by:

Citizens Against Slum Housing

/s/ Ronald Stein
/s/ Alan Pettet
/s/ Steve Fowler

Rebuttal to Arguments Against
Your Yes vote on Measure L will assist the elderly, blind and disabled, as well as other low-income residents, in their efforts to obtain affordable housing. Public and publicly assisted private housing developers such as ACLC, STAND and Habitat for Humanity will be able to provide clean, safe, decent homes for residents of San Joaquin County in areas outside of city limits.

Your Yes vote on Measure L will not target San Joaquin County as a "dumping ground" for criminals. Affordable housing is not linked to criminals and sexual predators.

Your Yes vote on Measure L will not add any additional costs to local taxpayers. Residents of affordable housing are generally seniors, disabled and people with low-paying jobs, for example, teachers, police officers, bus drivers, and do not require additional social programs.

Your Yes vote on Measure L will allow the County to acquire necessary state and federal funding to create affordable housing for our seniors, disabled, and hardworking, low-paid families in need.

Submitted by:

/s/ Carol J. Ornelas, Chief Executive Officer,ACLC, Inc.
/s/ David P. Brewer, Director, St. Mary's Interfaith Dining Room
/s/ Larry D. Johnson, STAND, Inc.
/s/ Edward G. Figueroa, Co-Director, St. Mary's Interfaith Dining Room


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Created: April 19, 2002 10:59 PDT
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