Sierra Madre, California, Measure D, Utility Tax Repeal (April 2018)
| Measure D: Sierra Madre Utility Tax Repeal |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| April 10, 2018 |
| Status: |
 Defeated
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| Topic: |
| Local utility tax and fees Expires in: N/A |
| Related articles |
| Local utility tax and fees on the ballot April 10, 2018 ballot measures in California Los Angeles County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Sierra Madre, California |
A utility tax repeal measure was on the ballot for Sierra Madre voters in Los Angeles County, California, on April 10, 2018. It was defeated.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of repealing the city utility tax, which was approved by voters in April 2016 at a rate of 10 percent. |
| A no vote was a vote against repealing the city utility tax, which was approved by voters in April 2016 at a rate of 10 percent. |
On April 12, 2016, Sierra Madre voters approved Measure UUT, with 72.27 percent of voters voting in favor of raising the utility user tax in the city from 8 percent to 10 percent. Measure D was placed on the ballot as an initiative to repeal this tax.
Election results
| Sierra Madre Measure D | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| No | 1,841 | 82.15% | ||
| Yes | 400 | 17.85% | ||
- Election results from City of Sierra Madre Facebook
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of Measure D:[1]
- Earl Richey, real estate investor, Sierra Madre resident
- David McMonigle, marketing executive, Sierra Madre resident
Argument in favor
The following official argument was submitted in favor of Measure D:
| “ |
Sierra Madre faces a grave fiscal crisis that many residents are not aware of. Neither the City Council nor the staff has adequately reported Sierra Madre's dire fiscal situation caused by growing debt, chronic overspending and increasing taxes. Although Sierra Madre's population has not changed in 10 years, the General Fund from 2006 - 2016 grew an astonishing 55% from $6.1 million to $9.4 million while total city revenues grew 25% from $17.5 million to $21.4 million. The City claims to have tried to reduce employee compensation, yet in 2016, 36% of full time employees earned over $100,000 in pay and benefits. (Source www.transparentcalifornia.com). The Big Story is our burgeoning pension debt. Sierra Madre residents are on the hook for paying city employees up to 90% of their salaries for the rest of their lives. Sierra Madre's pension debt is officially over $10 million. But the real number, according to Stanford Institute for Economic Research, could be as much as $40 million, 185% of the city's total annual budget. (Source: www.pensiontracker.org) Government elites enjoy pay, pensions and job security the average taxpayer can only dream about. This city, like other cities in California, is on the brink of insolvency. We do not need the 10% utility tax voted in in 2016. The City needs to get spending under control. The City must move employees to 401(k) retirement plans and pay off the pension debt. Give taxpayers the relief they need and VOTE YES to Stop the Utility Users Tax.[2] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument in opposition to Measure D:[1]
- Rachelle Arizmendi, mayor of Sierra Madre
- Denise Delmar, mayor pro tempore of Sierra Madre
- John Capoccia, Sierra Madre City Council member
- Gene Goss, Sierra Madre City Council member
- John Harabedian, Sierra Madre City Council member
Argument in opposition
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to Measure D:
| “ |
Vote NO on Measure D. In 2016, respected leaders in Sierra Madre, organizations throughout the community, and 72% of Sierra Madre voters approved the current UUT rates, which cannot increase without a vote of the people. The proposed UUT Repeal, if approved, will undo this vote by taking away 24% ($2.6M) of the entire General Fund of the City. This drastic and extreme cut would result in the inevitable dismantling of the City as we know it, including the following possibilities:
Who supports this misguided and poorly written initiative on our ballot? An out-of-town political extremist group that failed to pass this same measure on the ballot in several cities is now targeting Sierra Madre. These outsiders do not care about our City's needs or how Measure D will hurt our neighborhoods, quality of life, and property values. As Sierra Madre residents, we enjoy living in a safe, quiet city, and we will not compromise this great community because of outside political and ideological agendas. To learn more about the negative effects of Measure D, please visit: www.sierramadreusa.com Please join us in Voting NO on Measure D.[2] |
” |
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a successful initiative petition campaign.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 City of Sierra Madre, "Ballot Measures," accessed February 8, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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