League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Contra Costa County, CA June 7, 2011 Election
	Measure C Advisory Measure City of Richmond Advisory Measure - Majority Approval Required See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure C

Arguments Against Measure C

Because community leaders have joined together to protect Richmond's local services, we have a chance to fund critical services for Richmond. Measure C recommends that funding generated through emergency Measure D (other measure on the ballot) is used in the following areas: 1) To fund vital services for the residents of Richmond that have been cut due to budget takeaways. These could include Senior Citizen Services; Job Training Programs; and Social Services in Richmond for children and those least able to protect themselves. 2) To fund critical programs for WCCUSD schools in Richmond. These could include class-size reduction programs which increases student-teacher interaction in Richmond's schools, and decreases disciplinary problems in later grades; and after-school programs that help Richmond students learn additional skills and kids to stay out of trouble. Voting YES on Measure C will send a clear statement to the Richmond City Council that services vital to Richmond's residents and to Richmond's schools should be funded. Voting YES on Measure C will send a clear statement to the Richmond City Council that funding should be directed to vital Richmond services and to Richmond's schools, and not to increased salaries and pension programs that should be funded from other areas. Measure C is about directing funding to local Richmond services and Richmond's schools...not for salaries! Throughout California, other cities are being forced to eliminate critical programs and services. Due to the emergency measures taken by the Richmond City Council through a unanimous vote, the citizens of Richmond have an opportunity to protect and direct funding that would otherwise be unavailable to our community. Please join us in Voting YES on Measure C. Let's not waste this opportunity. Jeffrey B. Ritterman, Richmond City Councilmember Bill Lindsay, Richmond City Manager Roxanne Brown-Garcia, Kennedy High School Principal Bruce Harter, West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Rebuttal to Arguments For Measure C is the companion measure to Richmond's permanent half-cent sales tax increase. Those who signed the argument for Measure C do not seem to understand its consequences. For example: They claim the money would not go "for salaries and pension programs" but those who provide the services must be paid. Depending who they work for, the city could very well have to contribute to pensions and other benefits. They claim that the money for WCCUSD would only be used in Richmond schools, but what would stop the school district from reducing funds for Richmond schools to help those in need elsewhere in the school district? They use the term "emergency measure" while making this a permanent tax. The city could have put a time limit on this tax increase as other cities have done. More importantly, because the city is attempting to get around the California Constitution, public interest lawyers have said they will sue Richmond if this sales tax increase is approved. This is a very wrong tax at a very bad economic time. Do not make things worse for those in need or the businesses in Richmond trying to recover in this fragile economy. Vote NO on Measure C! Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, Kris Hunt, Executive Director

This "advisory measure" is a companion measure to Richmond's permanent half-cent sales tax increase. While well intentioned, it is financially irresponsible. By using this advisory vote, the city council is attempting to bypass state law. Public interest lawyers have already said they will sue Richmond if the sales tax is approved. Richmond will not only have wasted the cost of an expensive election, but will bear the cost of a lawsuit as well. It is important for us to invest in schools, as the voters in the West Contra Costa County School District have done time and again by supporting parcel taxes and nearly $1.3 billion dollars in school bonds. Last year, the city of Richmond helped the local schools financially. This "advisory" measure will permanently blur the boundaries between cities and schools, which is good for neither party. This misguided measure -- that will surely involve the city in a costly lawsuit -- is the wrong way to go. The economy is in terrible shape and so many people are either unemployed or underemployed. Now is the time that governmental agencies must use money wisely rather than attempting to circumvent the laws of California with questionable ballot measures. Vote NO on Measure C! Contra Costa Taxpayers Association Kris Hunt, Executive Director Rebuttal to Arguments Against Measure C is a common sense advisory measure that simply directs the City Council to use Measure D funds in the following areas: 1. Replace Services for Richmond Residents -- Restoring vital programs cut due to the statewide budget crisis and Sacramento's money grab. 2. Fund Critical programs for Schools in Richmond -- Protecting in-class programs such as class-size reduction and programs focusing on scholastic achievement. Rather than district-wide, this funding would be used exclusively for the WCCUSD schools within the City of Richmond only. Because Richmond was more prepared for the budget crisis than other cities, legally local voters now have the opportunity to help direct what will be funded by the city's emergency ballot measure. Measure C is only about directing funding to local Richmond services and Richmond's schools...not for salaries! There was not a single negative vote cast when placing Measures C and D on the ballot. That's how important these issues are for Richmond. As a community, we have a chance to recover from the statewide budget crisis that is now victimizing so many other cities. And while Richmond's schools and neighborhoods will benefit when other schools and other cities will not, we should not be deterred from strengthening our own community. Help repair the damage caused by the statewide budget crisis. Vote YES on Measure C. Jeff Ritterman, Richmond City Councilmember Bill Lindsay, Richmond City Manager Roxanne Brown-Garcia, Kennedy High School Principal Bruce Harter, West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent