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Riverside County, CA November 2, 2004 Election
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By Guadalupe Ramos Watson

Candidate for Council Member; City of Indio

This information is provided by the candidate
I'm Lupe Ramos Watson, a businesswoman, wife, and mother who is running for the Indio City Council in the November 2nd General Election. The City of Indio at one time existed in the shadow of our glitzier neighbor, Palm Springs. Today, with a population of over 55,000 people, Indio has 13,000 more residents than Palm Springs, and is not only still the largest city, but also the fastest-growing city of all nine cities in the Coachella Valley.

People are discovering what all of us who have made our homes here already know: Indio is a great family and retirement community, our hub of the valley. With growth, come challenges. The State budget crisis has impacted our city's revenues because the state since the early 1990's has raided our property taxes, and all California cities' property taxes, to balance the state budget. I'm a fiscal conservative and a tax fighter who opposes new taxes. I will work diligently as your City Council representative to keep our property taxes here in Indio, working for our community. I support on the November ballot Proposition 1A. Prop. 1A proposes to stop the state from raiding our local taxes. It is clear to me that our local taxes belong to our local citizens.

It's time for Indio to take a strong leadership role as the largest city in the Valley. We must have more open government and protect our quality of life. More open government means that the people we represent + the citizens of Indio + must be better informed about city decisions.

  • We need to develop short and long-range planning in full public view so that taxpayers are informed about proposed plans to develop downtown;
  • When our aging streets and infrastructure will be upgraded and repaired, and completed, and at what cost;
  • What benefits our citizens will realize from developer fees to improve our facilities, schools, and services;
  • What we are doing to bring jobs, to increase business, and to grow the economy of Indio;
  • How are we going to strengthen and increase public safety as our city grows;
  • How are we going to cost-effectively provide increased and/or improved services, parks, and facilities for our seniors, families, youth, in the next 5, 10, 20 years to keep quality of life shining in Indio.

Our City Council must conduct the public's business in full public view at all times, including its travel and reimbursement costs for conducting city business; timely information on city expenditures, and who the city does business with; and full disclosure by members of the City Council of their activities on the job to increase accountability to taxpayers.

I oppose any fee or tax increases. As a fiscal conservative, I offer a higher standard of leadership for the Indio City Council, and I will fight for the right of all citizens to have their voices heard at City Hall. I would appreciate your support. Thank you.

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ca/rv Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 20, 2004 06:19
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