Vote yes on Measure F: Join me in supporting Measure F for a better, safer Gilroy.
I have lived in Gilroy all my life. I have served my community as an elected leader for more than 30 years. First as a city councilmember and then mayor in the 1990s, then as a member of the board of supervisors for 14 years, and as a director on the Santa Clara County Water District. I returned as mayor in 2012.
I am a fiscal conservative and have always treated the people’s money with the utmost respect.
I’ve seen many budgets in my time. I know budgets. Gilroy needs Measure F. The financial crisis was hard on Gilroy, but we persevered, made deep cuts and balanced our budget early. In fact, the city has enjoyed a balanced budget since 2010. But, even though our budget is balanced, we simply do not have the income necessary to carry out the many important projects that our community needs.
I led the city council’s consideration of a temporary sales tax measure because I believe it is necessary for Gilroy if we want to improve our community, We simply do not have the funding necessary by any other means.
Measure F will fund the cost of Gilroy joining a countywide emergency communications network so that our emergency responders and those in surrounding communities and counties can communicate with us, and us with them, during an emergency or natural disaster such as an earthquake. Gilroy does not want to be left out of this important public safety project and does not want to be cut off from the rest of the county and region if disaster strikes. Measure F will provide the funding necessary for this important safety improvement.
We will also use Measure F to fund other critical projects for Gilroy that will improve our community, raise property values and better position Gilroy to compete for new businesses and jobs. Projects like improved roads, fixing sidewalks by fully funding the popular matching program with residents where the city pays 80 percent of the cost of repairing and replacing damaged sidewalks, and renewing our parks all with a dedicated source of funding that Sacramento cannot take away from us. These were projects requested and supported by the community during the more than nine months of public outreach the city conducted as we evaluated whether or not to put this measure on the ballot.
Measure F will be used to fund important anti-gang initiatives and bring forward public safety programs to address community priorities such as the South County Youth Task Force which is a partnership with the Gilroy Unified School District and Morgan Hill to proactively address the needs of kids and direct them toward positive activities and futures.
Measure F has a broad base of support. Gilroy’s local automobile dealers support Measure F and have helped us advocate for its passage because they realize the importance of the infrastructure improvements we need to make as we pursue bringing jobs and industry to Gilroy.
Gilroy is our community, but Measure F will be largely funded by regional visitors to our community. Many communities in California have passed similar initiatives like Measure F and not one community has experienced the loss of business or revenue because of it. We have the opportunity to leverage our position as a regional center to improve our community and create a better quality of life. All this as the lowest possible cost to Gilroy residents.
To ensure the money goes for the projects the community wants, the city council established a Measure F Expenditure Oversight Committee just like the oversight committee that reviewed and reported on the measure that funded the new library construction that came in ahead of schedule and under budget. We have established a track record of spending wisely and carefully.
Measure F is important for our future. Join me in voting YES on MEASURE F, Gilroy’s Public Safety and Quality of Life Measure.
Don Gage, mayor of Gilroy
Support Measure F
I will be voting YES on measure F, I support the increase in sales tax to keep our community a safe place to live. Is it unfortunate that the only way we can afford to do that is with a sales tax? Maybe. However, the reality that I see is that we lack safe activities that can help build our youths’ self-esteem. We have decent gang suppression, thanks to some very dedicated and hardworking police officers. But what we lack are preventive services, outreach programs that give our youth alternatives to crime and violence. Our communications system is outdated (last updated in 2002) it does not allow Gilroy to communicate with other cities. This leaves us isolated and completely vulnerable without support from outside in case of natural disaster. Our downtown has several vacant and unsafe buildings, it isn’t pleasant to look at and makes attracting businesses difficult.
People that come to the Outlets to shop, do so to avoid paying full retail for designer items, not to save on sales tax, a half-cent sales tax is not going to discourage that. What may prevent people from visiting our beautiful community whether it is to shop or to come for the Annual Garlic Festival is if there is an increase in crime, including graffiti and violence due to insufficient police staffing. Our current officers are doing the work of law enforcement and crisis interventionists. This isn’t acceptable to me, they should have the support staff to function effectively and avoid officer burnout. While I do have some questions, I will trust my elected officials, continue to vote and remain informed and educated about our REAL community climate. I encourage others to do the same. Get involved with the youth, youth that have limited family support and the at-risk youth. Talk to your local police officers and ask them what their shifts are like?
The risk is worth the benefit to me, the benefit being that Gilroy will be somewhere safer for myself and my children to live. That we will as a community provide to ALL youth engaging activities, to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. Gilroy doesn’t have any FREE safe spaces for disadvantaged youth to go, other than the streets. We can no longer use the prison system as our social service education system. The state of our current system is broken, in order to keep up with effective violence reduction and intervention services we have to spend money. Gilroy has the highest population of people on probation and parole and school truancy in the county, yet we have ZERO services here. Gilroy also has the highest rate of domestic violence, yet we have ZERO peer based support groups for women, children or teens. We are the perfect breeding ground for the generational cycle to continue. At first I too questioned the turn-about on Luchessa and Thomas and its effectiveness and purpose. Now a month later it is working much better, traffic is almost non-existent during morning and after school rush hours and it looks great. I don’t mind paying more to enjoy where I live.
People continue to complain that the City isn’t accountable, or hasn’t done A or B project, or they want closer fire stations. They are up in arms over overtime rates for Firemen and Police. Then it comes time to actually make a change and improvements, and no one wants to support what it takes to make a change. I’m voting yes on F because a 1/2 cent sales tax is worth it to me.
Vanessa DeLeon , Gilroy
Measure F not the only choice
Recently there have been many excellent letters in this paper listing the reasons to vote “No” on Measure F. I agree with these writers. I cannot in good conscience vote for a measure that may do more harm than good to Gilroy’s fiscal health. I believe it may serve to choke off a major revenue stream, by discouraging people from shopping here in Gilroy.
But the city still needs funds to accomplish important goals. What are our choices if Measure F fails to pass?
I suggest that we plan for well-crafted and precisely-targeted bond measures to solve specific problems and fund necessary projects. (The Gilroy Library is a great example of what can be done by our local residents and good government). If all capital improvements and upgrades were funded by bond measures, the remaining costs of running the city and addressing pressing needs could more easily be managed by existing tax revenues.
To those who say, “Bond measures are harder to pass, and they unfairly saddle local property owners with additional taxes,” I would respond that we who own property in Gilroy are the prime beneficiaries of city services and capital improvements. Therefore we should be willing to shoulder some of the burden to pay for them!
Why should we count on out-of-town shoppers to willingly pay more (in sales tax) for things that are mainly of benefit to locals? The out-of-town shoppers (and even local shoppers) will vote with their feet and go elsewhere to spend their money.
I understand that a very compelling case was made to the City Council to convince them that Measure F was their best choice, and by and large the Council members supported it, in some cases reluctantly. But I maintain that it is not Gilroy’s only choice.
I appeal to Gilroy’s voters: if you vote “No” on Measure F, be willing to step up and vote “Yes,” next year and beyond, on well-crafted, wisely administered bond measures that will benefit all of us who live and work in Gilroy. Let’s move on from Plan F to Plan B-for Bonds.
Bettsy Lima, Gilroy
Taxpayer money funding mailer?
Could your tax dollars be funding something you do not support? Did you receive a card from City of Gilroy that talks about local funds for local needs?
An expensive, 6 1/2′ x 11” full color, double sided flyer was mailed to Gilroy residents listing what additional funds could do for the city. This followed the city spending almost $200,000 from the general fund to hire a consulting firm, which advised the city to ask for a sales tax increase, which would generate $7,000,000 annually. The vote for the 15 year, 1/2 cent tax increase to be placed on the November ballot, agendized for the Aug. 4 city council meeting, was supported by the mayor and all city council members, except Peter Arellano. Hence, the birth of Measure F and two committees: in support, Measure F-Quality of Life and Gilroy Citizens Opposing Measure F. Conveniently, that vote took place on the deadline day for any opposition to be written in the voter information pamphlet.
Mayor Gage and city administrator, Tom Haglund, have been presenting slideshows touting the message of gang and crime prevention, sidewalk repairs, 9-1-1 system updates, youth program expansions and police protection improvements at organizational meetings around town for the last two months. All this and more are listed on this flyer. Although it does not mention the ballot measure, it sure sounds like Measure F to me!
Now, there may not have been anything illegal about sending this advertiser, but as a taxpayer, who opposes paying 9.25 percent sales tax in Gilroy for the next 15 years, I am angry my tax dollars were used to promote the city council’s agenda and something I do not support. I equate this to belonging to a union, to whom I have no choice but to pay dues, and have that union support a candidate I personally do not. In addition, how much staff time was taken from city duties and directed towards the campaign? Were city facilities used to hold these meetings? Were there promises the city council could offer to generous donators?
I say NO to MEASURE F! Get angry and vote NO, too!
Susan Mister, Gilroy
Get out and vote
It’s that time again, the mid-term elections. This is a very important election. We need all progressives, liberals and Democrats to get out and vote. We better have representation when it comes to Gilroy’s politics.
Old faces, but no new good ideas, that’s what I see from people like Velasco or Bracco or most of the others running as well.
Remember there are tough problems facing Gilroy right now. We don’t need new taxes. Our stores, wineries, downtown should not have to be fined for signs or ordinances that just take money from people who don’t have it.
Again, Gilroy needs more jobs, not forcing $450 a year from stores who sell cigarettes. More money for the general fund or are they really helping children? You be the judge.
And what about their reasoning? We need the money to raid more businesses. Really, they need more money to raid more stores. This is nonsense. That’s oversight, no!
We need a more even playing field, more diversity on the council and better real time leadership from our chief of police and mayor, who have really failed in this area completely.
Remember the Gilroy Police Department had the Novack Company come in to tell us how to run their operation. How often do you ever see this after a chief has been on the job this long? And the mayor, he is the invisible man. What happened to the youth programs, keeping our city safer or jobs? Not happening!
So remember, this is a very important vote. Get out and vote everyone!
Daniel Garcia, Gilroy
Clear local choices
This year, our local ballot choices cannot be more clear.
For City Council, the best candidates are Dion Bracco and Tom Fischer, and definitely NOT Paul Kloecker. Bracco has a good, solid voting record on Council, and Fischer would be a fresh, positive influence. Kloecker is one of the most arrogant people I have ever met, undeserved of a Council seat.
For School Board, Tom Brundros and Pat Midtgaard are the top choices, with definite NOES to Linda Piceno, a genuinely horrible person, and Jaime “Never seen a tax hike he didn’t like” Rosso, who also supports the ignorance known as Common Core.
And for the tax hike—F no!
Alan Viarengo, Gilroy
