Wrigley Association

Wrigley Association Presents Opposing Views to Measure I (10/6)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Wrigley Association Presents Opposing Views to Measure I Property Parcel Tax

Monday, October 6, 2008
7:00 P.M to 9:00 P.M.
Veterans Park Social Hall
101 East 28th Street
Long Beach

Following a short general meeting, beginning at 7:30 p.m. two separate presentations will address opposition to Measure I, the proposed Long Beach infrastructure tax bond. First, former Redevelopment Agency Board Member Terry Jensen will explain why Measure I deserves defeat in its present form.

Next, Kathy Ryan and Tom Stout, founders of Long Beach Taxpayers Association, will present their opposition to Measure I. All these speakers welcome questions from the audience.

This is the second of a two-part series that began in September when Mayor Bob Foster and City Manager Pat West came to the Wrigley Association to promote and discuss Measure I, which will appear on the November ballot and requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

The Wrigley Association is one of the only Long Beach organizations to provide a forum for an alternate viewpoint.
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Measure I critics speak at Long Beach meeting
By Paul Eakins, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/07/2008 10:05:47 PM PDT

LONG BEACH - Some attendees at the Wrigley Association's monthly meeting Monday night said their support of the Measure I infrastructure improvement plan was wavering after hearing the other side.

One month after Mayor Bob Foster spoke at the Wrigley Association to promote his infrastructure measure, the opposition got its turn Monday at the Veterans Park community center. Opponents told the crowd that the measure and the process of creating it have been riddled with holes.

"There was absolutely no public outreach, no transparency whatsoever, no council study sessions, no Budget Oversight Committee session, no neighborhood meeting, no public input on the infrastructure repair, replacement or priority list," said Terry Jensen, a former Redevelopment Agency board member.

Measure I would levy a $120 parcel tax on single-family residences in the first year, increasing by an estimated 3 percent annually for 35 years. Owners of multiple-family residences such as apartment buildings would pay $120 in the first year per unit, while businesses would pay based on their square footage.

The tax revenue would be used to finance $571 million in bonds to complete a massive list of infrastructure projects in 10 years. The list includes a wide range of improvements, including streets, sidewalks, alleys, fire stations, police stations and park bathroom facilities.

Jensen, along with speakers Tom Stout and Kathy Ryan of the Long Beach Taxpayers Association, questioned whether the money would be spent as planned. They said the language in the infrastructure measure is too broad.

Jensen also said the mayor's virtually non-stop efforts over the last month to promote Measure I have come too late.

"If he had this much time to sell the proposal that was crafted behind the scenes, why didn't he spend that same amount of time working with the public to develop a plan that everybody can support, that everybody had a part of," said Jensen.

Furthermore, Jensen criticized the flat parcel tax, which all property owners would pay regardless of their property's value.

"A very small bungalow in the worst part of this city is going to pay $120 a year in the first year, the same amount of money that the owner of a multimillion-dollar mansion on the water in Naples would pay," Jensen said.

Jensen's arguments made Sam Portillo, a 50-year-old Wrigley member who had been at the previous meeting with the mayor, begin to doubt Measure I, he said. After hearing the mayor, Portillo had been leaning toward voting for the measure, he said.

"I was OK with it as long as it's gonna be used for what they say it's gonna be used for," the city of Los Angeles employee said. "If I'm not sure, I'll vote no because I don't want to vote for something and find out later it's not what I thought it was."

Bethel Cope-Vega, a former teacher and law student, and her husband Alejandro Vega, an administrator at Long Beach Unified School District, said they are more inclined to vote for the school district's $1.2 billion bond measure than the infrastructure measure.

Vega said he didn't like the flat tax rate, and Cope-Vega said the nation's economic situation makes supporting two major tax increases difficult.

"Overall, I think we both want Long Beach to be a really successful city," Cope-Vega said. "It's just that times are tough right now."

paul.eakins@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1278

Who we are:

The Wrigley Association prides itself on conducting meetings that are informational and deal with timely and pertinent quality of life issues. Meetings are held the first Monday of the month. (With the exception of holidays, when they will take place on the second Monday.) One of the city's most respected neighborhood organizations, the Wrigley Association is dedicated to improving the Wrigley District and Long Beach. Child care and parking are free.

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