League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Mateo County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Measure G Education Parcel Tax San Mateo County Community College District 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 81,843 / 67.1% Yes votes ...... 40,105 / 32.9% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure G

Arguments Against Measure G

Due to severe state budget cuts, UC and CSU are drastically reducing enrollment and raising tuition, making higher education inaccessible and unaffordable for thousands of college-ready San Mateo County students. College of San Mateo, Canada College, and Skyline College provide the only option for many local students to continue their education and prepare for four-year universities or careers. Recent state cuts exceeding $25 million to San Mateo County Community College District have forced significant reductions in faculty, staff, and classes. Currently, 14,000 San Mateo County students are on wait-lists and cannot get the classes they need. Measure G will provide funding the state government cannot take away and expand access to affordable, quality education for our local students. Measure G: protects job-training programs for careers in nursing, healthcare, computers, technology, police, and fire; maintains core academics such as reading, writing, and math; keeps libraries open and maintains library services; prepares students to transfer to 4-year colleges and universities; helps retain qualified instructors; provides modern classroom technology and computer labs for students; provides equipment and technology for science labs; and restores funding to offer an adequate number of classes and labs to meet growing student demand. provides additional classes for wait-listed students right away. Measure G also contains important taxpayer protection provisions: By law, NO MONEY FOR ADMINISTRATOR SALARIES OR ADMINISTRATION. CITIZENS' OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE with yearly reports to the community that ensure the funds are spent as promised. A SENIOR EXEMPTION protects those on fixed incomes. NO MONEY GOES TO THE STATE --- every penny will benefit the College of San Mateo, Canada College, and Skyline College. Please support our local community college students and join a bipartisan coalition to VOTE YES ON MEASURE G. http://www.YESonMeasureG.com /s/ Virginia Chang Kiraly, State Commissioner for Economic Development /s/ Mark Raffaelli, Former Police Chief, South San Francisco /s/ Ruth Nagler Former Chair, Senior Focus /s/ Glenna Vaskelis, President - Sequoia Hospital /s/ Patty Dilko President, Academic Senate Rebuttal to Arguments For Measure G is the THIRD recent tax increase by this District. Vote NO! While citizens struggle to absorb the largest tax increase in California history, the San Mateo County Community College District wants more. They want to increase taxes to cover recent lavish pay raises to administrators. The District has 23 deans, which cost us $3.1 million last year! Not to mention 160+ employees receiving over $100,000/year. They say this tax won't be used for salaries. But their own Argument says more money "helps retain qualified instructors." How? By freeing up other money which can go to salaries. They can't find money to give "students the classes they need." Yet they found money to build (in their words) first class faculty housing ... with stunning views ... and rents at half the market average. Perhaps they should prioritize spending before raising our taxes! The new faculty housing is also tax exempt, meaning they won't pay their new tax on us! They say they'll appoint a "citizens' oversight committee". But citizens' oversight committees for K-12 funding have proven useless. They "review" wasteful spending but are powerless to stop it. Seniors, don't rely on the "senior exemption." Lawyers believe the exemption is barred by state law. If a court agrees, you'll pay, too. Renters, if you vote to increase your landlord's property taxes, it will be passed on to you. A 20098 audit shows District property tax revenues have increased every year and DOUBLED over the past decade. Property taxes are high enough! VOTE NO! http://nosmccdtax.com /s/ John Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association /s/ Bill Baker, Former Councilmember, City of San Bruno /s/ Terrence Gossett, Pres. CPR /s/ Douglas A. McNea, President, SVTA /s/ Olga (Nina) P. Pellegrini, Individual

Measure G is a property tax increase. Vote NO! Last year the State raised income taxes, sales taxes, and car taxes - the biggest tax increase in California history. Wasn't that enough for State community colleges? Now they want to raise property taxes, too? Vote NO! Community colleges can charge students tuition. That's fair since many students attending college in San Mateo County are not residents here. They come from other parts of California, other states, even other countries. Nearly half are over 25. Community colleges already receive a share of our property taxes - about $80 million a year! Besides that, in recent years local voters twice approved expensive bond measures for this district, to be repaid through higher property taxes. We pay enough to subsidize the education of adults, many of whom don't live here, and don't pay the tax themselves. Ironically, however, only 38% goes to instructional activities. Most goes to salaries, some over $200,000/year. This new tax would be available to raise salaries even higher. Senior citizens beware! Measure G claims that seniors are exempt. They hope you'll vote to increase taxes on your neighbors if you don't have to pay. But legal experts believe the exemption is unlawful. If a court agrees, you'll pay, too. Now is not the time for more taxes. Thousands of employees are laid off or furloughed. Self-employed business owners have less work or have closed altogether. Yet their property taxes are still due. Everyone who can't afford all these taxes will lose their homes. Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association have reviewed this measure and recommend a NO vote. California is the most overtaxed state in America. When do we get to keep some money to support our own families? Vote NO! For more information, visit http://nosmccdtax.com /s/ John Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association /s/ Terrence Gossett, Pres. Californians for Property Rights /s/ Douglas A. McNea, President, Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association /s/ Harland Harrison, Chair, Libertarian Party of San Mateo County /s/ Bill Baker, Former Councilmember, City of San Bruno Rebuttal to Arguments Against Sacramento special interests and political fringe groups want to mislead you about the future of College of San Mateo, Canada College, and Skyline College. Vote YES on Measure G. FACT: San Mateo Community College District has been ravaged by $25 million in State budget cuts. "Tuition (that goes directly to Sacramento) is rising; classrooms and labs are overcrowded or unavailable. State budget cuts are making it harder for me to graduate." Israel Calva, CSM engineering student FACT: Measure G expands access to affordable, higher education for local students. "With 14,000 students on wait lists, many students can't get the classes they need." George Juelch, Canada College student; Iraq War veteran FACT: Measure G protects important job training programs. "When I was laid off at age 46, my future looked bleak. I enrolled in Skyline College's biotech training program. After graduation, I immediately found a good paying job with a bright future at a mjaor biotech company in San Mateo County." Jose Ruiz, Skyline College Alumnus FACT: No funds from Measure G can be used for administrative salaries. "It's illegal to use funds for administrator salaries." Marion McDowell, Former President, State Board of Education FACT: Measure G establishes a senior exemption and a citizens' oversight committee. "Measure G includes a senior exemption, citizens' oversight, and mandates every penny be spent on our local community colleges." Marian Mann, Vice-President, Daly City Senior Citizens' Club Measure G will help local students continue their education and prepare for universities or careers. Vote YES on Measure G and visit http://www.YesonMeasureG.com /s/ Virginia Medrano Rosales, Student Trustee, San Mateo County Community College District /s/ Zenei Cortez, RN President, California Nurses Association /s/ Brian M. Kelly, San Mateo Fire Chief (retired) /s/ Chris Rodriguez, Canada College Engineering Student /s/ Jim Wyatt, Chair, Bond Oversight Committee /s/ Virginia

Full Text of Measure G

Special Tax Authorization By approval of this proposition by at least two-thirds of the registered voters voting on the proposition, the District will be authorized to levy a special tax of $34 per parcel for four years for the purpose of financing programs identified below under the heading, "Statement of Purposes," subject to all the accountability requirements specified below. A parcel is defined as any unit of land in the District that receives a separate tax bill from the San Mateo County Assessor's Office. Accountability Requirements The provisions in this section are specifically included in this proposition in order that the voters and taxpayers in the District may be assured that their money will be spent wisely. As required by the laws of the State of California, the proceeds of the special tax will be deposited into a special account established by the District and will be applied only to the specific purposes identified below. The District has covenanted to have on file with its governing board no later than January 1 of each year a report stating the amount of funds collected and expended and the status of any project authorized to be funded. In addition, the governing board of the District will appoint a Citizens' Oversight Committee with responsibility to review the expenditures of the District from the special tax to ensure the special tax is expended for authorized purposes, and to prepare an annual report to the District and the public concerning the expenditure of the special tax proceeds. Statement of Purposes The statement shown below is a part of the ballot proposition and must be reproduced in any official document required to contain the full statement of the proposition. The proceeds of the special tax will be expended to finance the payment of costs and expenses of the District that are designed to achieve the following purposes. The specific purposes of the special tax are described as follows: Preserving job training programs in nursing, healthcare, computers, engineering, green technology (such as solar and wind energy), police and firefighting; Maintaining core academics including Science, English, Mathematics; Keeping libraries open and maintaining library services; Preparing students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities; Maintaining academic counseling programs and other student services to promote student achievement, graduation, and access to high-paying jobs; Attracting and retaining qualified instructors; Providing modern classroom technology and computer labs for students; Providing equipment and technology for science labs; and Restoring funding to offer an adequate number of classes and labs to meet growing student demand. Senior Exemption In order to provide tax relief to senior citizens in the community, any parcel owned and occupied as a principal residence by a person 65 years of age or older shall be exempt from the levy of the special tax upon proper application to the District. The exemption shall be available pursuant to procedures to be prescribed by the District or otherwise as required by law or by the San Mateo County Tax Collector. Severability The Board of Trustees of the District hereby declares, and the voters by approving this measure concur, that every section, paragraph, sentence, and clause of this measure has independent value, and the Board of Trustees and the voters would have adopted each provision hereof regardless of every other provision hereof. Upon approval of this measure by the voters, should any part be found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid for any reason, all remaining parts hereof shall remain in full force and effect to the fullest extent allowed by law.