Voters said no to the parcel tax (Oakland, Montclair: appointed, sale)

[jade408]

It looks like voters did not believe in the parcel tax: Oakland voters reject $60 million parcel tax

Sixty-two percent of voters defeated Measure I, a parcel tax that Mayor Jean Quan and some council members said was essential to stabilizing the city budget.
...The defeat of three measures sends "a clear message," said Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente.

"The reality is that more money is not the answer," he said. "We need to manage what we have and hold people accountable."

Oaklanders, how did you vote? I voted no on I and H and yes on J.

Generally, I vote yes on parcel taxes. But with no plan or breakdown on how the money would be spent, I had to say no. The last time I said "yes" the money didn't go where it was supposed to.

[mayorhaggar]

Don't want to reform prop 13 or abolish the massive California prison system...and don't want to pay for the parcel taxes that are made necessary by prop 13 and prison spending...California voters at their finest. It's true that our elected officials don't really give us any reason to be optimistic about whether tax money will be used wisely, but why do Californians keep voting for the same people each year?

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

... but why do Californians keep voting for the same people each year?

Because it's always "not MY guy -- my guy is the good one. It's those other bums that need to go."

Frankly -- they ALL need to go at this point. Especially Quan.

Just my opinion.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Because it's always "not MY guy -- my guy is the good one. It's those other bums that need to go."

Frankly -- they ALL need to go at this point. Especially Quan.

Just my opinion.

Seriously. I am sick of the current city council. I am perfectly happy to vote yes on spending more, if people are accountable on how they spend it. Unfortunately everyone wants the money and doesn't want to face the consequences if they don't spend it as they should.

[bigdumbgod]

Need money?

How about a big yard sale at city hall, featuring lots of 'donated' camping equipment?

[Shelacious]

I wouldn't have minded paying the parcel tax. But the measure was written like there wasn't a definitive plan for the money other than into the general fund. That's OK too, but that really means another parcel tax on the ballot in the next election cycle. When you put money into the "general fund," it goes into a black hole that doesn't put much of a dent into anything.

[Ultrarunner]

A couple of thoughts...

Oakland residents have a long history of approving parcel taxes... I think I counted 17 on my Tax Bill plus 6 other property affiliated revenue enhancements.

My property Tax is exactly 2% of the value of my home which means Oakland Residents such as myself are already paying double the State 1%.

Neighboring communities often pay a much lower tax rate and taxes than Oakland Property Owners/Residents without a reduction in services and in some cases, better services.

Oakland is not inexpensive when it comes to taxes... A former employer of mine moved his business from Oakland to San Lorenzo and was pleasantly surprised at his across the board savings... even his company cell phone bill was less expensive because he no longer had to pay the Oakland Cell Phone Tax among others.

I don't see how those of us that already contribute to Oakland are often made out to be the bad guys...

The Mayor pushed for this election and spent almost no time explaining the hows and whys to the voters of Oakland...

I'm already very disappointed that my local Public School along with several others is set for closure at the end of this school year... the reason I'm upset is two-fold...

1. The city just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on improvements this past summer... makes no sense to spend the money on a soon to be vacant building.

2. The money spent on outside law enforcement agencies for the second Occupy Oakland eviction was more than the projected savings by closing my school.

It could be the voters are just sending a message to our city leaders the only way we can.

As to electing the same people over and over again... definitely not applicable in my case... the candidates I support are seldom elected... doesn't seem to matter which party affiliation.

[18Montclair]

I almost never vote no on Oakland parcel taxes but I did this time cause I tend to agree with Ignacio De La Fuente's opinion on the issue.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

I almost never vote no on Oakland parcel taxes but I did this time cause I tend to agree with Ignacio De La Fuente's opinion on the issue.

I voted for Ignacio when he was a mayoral candidate...

We don't agree on everything... I do think he knows how to get things done and keeps close tabs on the financial side of things.

As mentioned above... my candidates rarely win.

[Tallysmom]

I did, too. And I voted Perata, because I truly believe we need fresh blood and fresh insight. I've been in Oakland for 27 years now, 24 at this house -- and this yearly "take back the night/Lets all join hands and sing Kumbaya" crap ISN'T WORKING.

And yet -- this all they seem to give us. And Quan had lots of time to promote this 80 dollar parcel tax. She's been blabbing about this since before she was elected -- which lead to her infamous quote that I will never forgive her for -- "It's just a latte a day".

This truly showed that she was out of touch with the people of Oakland, especially when you hear on the news that OUSD is going to start serving dinner, in addition to breakfast, lunch and snacks, to qualified students..... and that SEVENTY PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS QUALIFY.

And we elect people who aren't up to the job. I'll never forget Ron Dellums getting off the plane to announce "I intended to say no,". The only person clearer than him that he didn't want the job was General William Tecumseh Sherman when he said "If nominated, I will not run, if elected I will not serve."