| | Published October 27th, 2010
| Public Forum
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Yes on Prop. 22 in November to Stop State Raids of Local Funds and to Protect Vital Local Services
California voters have an opportunity on Election Day, November 2nd, to stop State politicians from raiding local taxpayer funds that are supposed to be used at the local level for vital local services like emergency 911 response, police, fire, libraries, parks, transportation improvements and more. Your Yes vote on Proposition 22 will stop State raids of local government funds once and for all.
For too long, Sacramento politicians have used loopholes in the law to take billions in taxpayer funds dedicated by the voters to local government and transportation services. Just last year the State took $5 billion in local revenues to balance their budgets. In contrast, the Town of Moraga (where I serve on the Council) must live within its means. We must pass a budget that is honest, on-time, and balanced each year.
The billions of dollars taken by state raids have forced deep cuts locally in services that we all depend on every day. For example, in Moraga we had planned on using COPS funding for local police services to pay for a police officer to bring the Town back up to full strength - but the State deleted this longstanding program from next year's budget. Also, neighborhood street maintenance in Moraga is underfunded at the present time. Without the protection of Proposition 22, we anticipate that the State will likely cut Gas Tax funding that you pay for local streets, further eroding our ability to arrest the deterioration of our neighborhood streets. Don't be fooled by the State's avoidance of Gas Tax raids in the recently approved budget to avoid possible voter support for Proposition 22. The State's mid-year budget revise will likely prove that the current makeshift budget is woefully out of balance. Without Proposition 22 Moraga, and other local communities, will be at serious risk.
But by voting Yes on Proposition 22, we can stop state lawmakers in Sacramento from raiding funds that don't belong to them. Prop. 22 will:
- STOP the State from taking or borrowing
local tax dollars dedicated to cities and
counties to fund vital local services.
- STOP the State from taking or diverting gas
taxes we pay at the pump that voters have
dedicated to transportation purposes.
By stopping State raids, Prop. 22 will protect the vital local government services that protect public safety, improve our local economies, and enhance our quality of life, including:
- Police and sheriff patrols
- 9-1-1 emergency dispatch
- Paramedic response
- Fire protection
- Senior services
- Neighborhood parks and recreation programs
- Local libraries
By voting Yes on Prop. 22, we also protect gas tax funds from state raids. We can ensure that gas taxes we pay at the pump are used, as voters intended, to:
- Fund road safety improvements
- Fund pothole repair
- Fund traffic congestion relief
- Fund mass transit, like buses and commuter rail
Prop. 22 is a straightforward measure. Prop 22 simply ensures that our existing local tax dollars and existing gas taxes cannot be taken away by the state politicians again. It requires State legislators to stop raiding funds that don't belong to them. And most important during these tough economic times, Prop 22 will not increase taxes.
That's why Prop. 22 is supported by such a broad and diverse coalition of public safety, labor, business and taxpayer groups, community groups, senior and local governments groups including:
- California Fire Chiefs Association
- Peace Officers Research Association of California, representing 60,000 public safety members;
- California Police Chiefs Association
- AAA Northern California
- California Library Association, representing 3,000 librarians across California
- California Transit Association
- League of California Cities
- Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Group
- California Chamber of Commerce
- More than 300 cities and towns
Literally hundreds of groups support Prop. 22 because it will protect the services you and I depend on every single day. I urge your YES vote on Prop. 22 on November 2nd.
For more information visit www.savelocalservices.com, join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @yesonprop22.
Dave Trotter
Moraga
(Dave Trotter is a Moraga Town Council Member)
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA