Power of Incumbency

By Carol Churchill

Incumbents Use Power of Office to Make a Quick Fix...After Forum

• send more police patrol cars around the neighborhoods so it looks like we are in control.
• create financial statements that show "reserves" and omitting "debts" or "delayed projects", so the books look like the city is swimming in money.
• paint, slurry seal the streets, increase clean ups, and send out city brochures that are self-congratulating.
• spend the council meetings telling each other candidate how well they have done during the last year.

Get the facts...not the political fan faire.

1. The police chief needs 6 new officers. The city needs $750,000 a year in new revenue. The council appointed a "blue ribbon committee" so they did not have to admit they do not have the money to pay for the police.
2. Even if the new Home Depot site and auto mall are completed in two years (which is an optimistic prejection), the projected revenues will not cover the cost of the police services needed now, let along losses in grants used to pay for infrastructure repairs and updates caused by deficites in California and Washington DC.
3. Only 2 of the top 25 sales tax producing businesses were generated in the last 10 years under this Council.
4. The population has increased almost 25% in 10 years and with new houses, could jump to 50%.
5. The 2005/06 budget projects no new staff for at least 5 years...that means no new police officers-despite the Blue Ribbon Committee.
6. In November 2004, the Incumbent Council imposed a new tax on you without your vote because the city could not afford to pay for Storm Water Run Off mandated by the Federal and State law. The Incumbents did not want to run for re-election on the same ballot as a tax increase, so they simply did not let you vote in violation of California law.
7. New taxes are inevitable unless new leadership is put in place March 1.