League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Contra Costa County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Measure E Special Parcel Tax for Police Protection Services County Service Area P-6, Zone 3111 Special Tax - 2/3 Approval Required Fail: 1272 / 47.44% Yes votes ...... 1409 / 52.56% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure E

Arguments Against Measure E

A group of local residents have been working hard to increase police protection services in the El Sobrante and North Arlington communities. The result of this plan is Measure E. A "Yes" vote on Measure E will result in an additional full time Resident Deputy Sheriff and patrol car for the El Sobrante and North Arlington communities. This new Deputy Sheriff will be devoted just to our communities and will supplement, not replace, existing law enforcement services and provide a higher level of dedicated service to our community. Single family homeowners would pay only $38 per year, which is less than 10 cents per day, for a dedicated Resident Deputy Sheriff who will understand and respond to the specific law enforcement needs of our communities. The money collected from Measure E can only be spent in the El Sobrante and North Arlington communities. This parcel tax will automatically end in five years. With a dedicated new Resident Deputy Sheriff, the community will get: Increased law enforcement patrols Increased traffic enforcement Increased crime prevention and neighborhood watch activities Quicker response times to calls for police services More personalized response to citizen calls Increased law enforcement services will lower crime in our community, improve the safety and security of the neighborhood, and increase property values. Crime does exist in our neighborhood and we need to provide enhanced police services for our families and children, and for our seniors. The new dedicated Resident Deputy Sheriff will be fully familiar with our streets and our community and will be more effective in preventing crime and catching criminals. Please vote "Yes" on Measure E for a safer neighborhood and increased property values. Rebuttal to Arguments For The usual suspects here in El Sobrante: the El Sobrante MAC and a specially created "Crime" subcommittee, the El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce, and Supervisor Gioia are using scare tactics to justify the need for another deputy in our area. They claim `increased law enforcement' will lower crime and increase property values. Yet, they have produced no studies that show the truth of these assertions. Proponents also use the line that $38/yr works out to 10 cents/day for this extra deputy. What they don't tell you is that this election is costing taxpayers $30,000 from the County general fund!! This from a County that now has an unfunded employee pension fund liability of $1.4 billion! Moreover, our school district is also asking you for more money! If you allow the formation of this special taxing Zone 3111, it will never go away. Have you ever seen a taxing zone disappear? At the end of the 5 year taxing period, the "usual suspects", whoever they may be at that time, will have yet another crime crisis to justify renewing this tax + perhaps for an even longer period and for more money! Look at how much tax you are already giving the County. If there's such a crime crisis in El Sobrante, why can't the County put more resources here? Police and fire protection used to be basic public services. They still should be. Tell the County NO, NO, NO!! Vote No on Measure E!! Arguments In Favor Submitted By Contra Costa Deputy Sheriffs Association, Jim Bickert, President Emily Lane, Chair, El Sobrante MAC Crime Prevention Committee Barbara Pendergrass, Chair, El Sobrante Municipal Advisory Council Mike Daley, North Arlington Neighborhood Crime Watch Marie Carayanas, Vice President, El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce

At a time when businesses and homeowners face overwhelming financial challenges, "community leaders" in collusion with Supervisor John Gioia want you to fund a `dedicated' Sheriff's deputy for El Sobrante through yet another parcel tax. Property owners in Rodeo and N. Arlington Hts. recently rejected a tax for a "dedicated Sheriff's Deputy." Nevertheless, the County is now combining the unrelated areas of El Sobrante with N. Arlington Hts. into Zone 3111 for this tax. We don't need an "increased police presence"; we already have enough Sheriff's deputies, Richmond City Police, DEA agents, blight inspectors, and general all around busybodies in our area. Moreover, property owners are already paying for police protection under both a Countywide "P" (Police Services) district established in 1983 and several special "P" districts in El Sobrante proper. The County states there is a "need for increased police protection service" in El Sobrante and they are having "difficulty...funding the current...level of services." The 2008-2009 "P" district funding just for the El Sobrante area showed an `ending balance' of $176,578! Where is this money being spent? Moreover, if passed, this tax will increase annually according to the Consumer Price Index, typically 3%! Even though this is billed as a "dedicated" Sheriff's Deputy, the Sheriff has wide latitude to move personnel and equipment around as he sees fit. Among other things this tax will be used to purchase and maintain a new police car + a cost that could eat up the first years' revenue! Government mismanagement has caused the current financial crisis. El Sobrante residents don't need new taxes - they need tax relief! Vote NO on this tax! Rebuttal to Arguments Against A "Yes" vote on Measure E will mean increased law enforcement services for our community. That's why the supporters of Measure E are residents, small businesses and community leaders from our own neighborhood. Community residents active in the El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce, El Sobrante Boys and Girls Club, El Sobrante Municipal Advisory Council, El Sobrante Valley Planning and Zoning Committee, and the North Arlington Crime Watch have come together to put Measure E on the ballot. Local residents and small businesses support Measure E because: It will increase Sheriff Deputy patrols in our neighborhood There will be quicker response times to calls for police services It will cost single family homeowners only $38 per year The money collected can only be spent in our community The parcel tax will automatically end in five years It will help increase local property values If Measure E is passed, a new full time Resident Deputy Sheriff will start patrolling El Sobrante this July. This new Resident Deputy Sheriff will be dedicated only to El Sobrante and the adjacent North Arlington neighborhood just off Hillcrest Rd. above San Pablo Dam Rd. We know we can fight crime more effectively by having a new Resident Deputy Sheriff who understands the specific law enforcement needs of our community. Property values have gone down and so have revenues to fund local law enforcement services. That's why we need Measure "E". Arguments Against Submitted By Marilynne L. Mellander, Retired Laboratory Scientist Anthony Crescenzi, Landscape Contractor Paul Sartor, Retired Eddy A Guerra, Retired Margaret Hooper, Retired Environmental Educator