Stogner's message to SMC voters re: Measure H $564M

Just received my first glossy Measure H piece in the mail today.

It states Get the Facts about Measure H.

Nowhere does it mention $564,000,000

No cost per 100,000, no nothing about cost.

Good Luck property owners in San Mateo County, if this is a low turn out, they only need 55% to pass it.

Michael:

Property owners and renters alike pay for bond measures (and parcel taxes.) It is a myth that only property owners bear the cost - property owners pass the cost on to their renters.

A more salient question is: Why do you oppose the will of the voters? Voters in San Mateo County have overwhelmingly supported both parcel taxes and bond measures. Perhaps this is because most voters in SM County believe that we have a shared obligation to provide quality public services to ourselves, our children and our neighbors?

I think that is the case, which is why I will be voting 'Yes' on Measure H.

We won't know what the will of the voters is until after the election, will we?

The community colleges have already indebted voters to the tune of many millions of dollars. From what I have read, it appears that the colleges have not spent that money prudently. But they have little motivation to be careful with capital costs when they can always come back to the voters for more.

When I read the ballot statements, I found it interesting that the H supporters were mostly politicians. The opponents were primarily students, suggesting that this is another boondoggle supported by moneyed interests.

That impression was corroborated when I got a glossy, expensive piece in the mail from the H campaign. Someone stands to make a big profit if this passes. It's not getting my vote.

Please vote no. There is no oversight, and money has already been spent wrongly.

Please read about measure A spending and visit the PRIVATE GYM built with homeowner taxpayer money. The grand jury acknowledged that no gym was on the 468M bond but did nothing to find wrongdoing. There is no oversight, even at the highest level. Please do your homework and realize given yet another half billion will not buy "us" what we are being sold.

Web Link

Despite a state law requiring bond money to be spent only on voter-approved construction projects, a grand jury has found that the San Mateo County Community College District did not abuse public funds when it surprised voters last year with a members-only fitness club at the College of San Mateo.

By law, bond money may be spent only on projects listed in a ballot measure. But no fitness club was listed on Measure A, the college district's $468 million bond approved by voters in 2005, the grand jury acknowledged.

Our community colleges are critical to the success of our communities. There are ample provisions in place to insure that the funds are spent per the ballot measure. And yes, of course, some folks will make money on these projects - contractors, plumbers, electricians, steel workers, consulting engineers, architects, heavy equipment operators, painters, glaziers, shall I go on? In other words, our students and communities will benefit from modernized facilities, our community will gain jobs and our infrastructure will be maintained and improved.

Or, you can go the Stogner way, and let our public institutions crumble. I don't agree with Stogner. And I am not a politician nor am I a contractor.

Yes on Measure H.

Taxpayer,

"It is a myth that only property owners bear the cost - property owners pass the cost on to their renters."

What about property owners who don't have renters?

What about property owners who are on a fixed income?

Mr. Stogner:

Your post indicated that it was wrong for non-property owners to obligate property owners by voting for bond measures. My point was that this is a myth - everyone is either a renter or a property owner (or both) so in every case, each person contributes, either directly or indirectly, in paying for the resultant tax.

What about property owners who are on a fixed income? There is no such thing as a fixed expense. Variations in the cost of living, whether it be the cost of food, gasoline, sales tax variations, health care, etc., are a fact of life that anyone has to deal with, whether they are on a fixed or a varying income. Many property owners who are of retirement age (and thus more likely to be on a fixed income) have owned their property for a long time and are already paying much less in property taxes than neighbors who purchased their property more recently. That was the intent of Proposition 13, was it not, to "protect" those long-term property owners? So, they benefit from reduced property valuation and thus pay less for bond measures (which are based on property valuation.)

Again, I plan to vote 'yes' on Measure H. Thank you for reminding me why.

Just received my 2nd glossy Measure H mailer today. To prepare our future nurses,technicians, and engineers.

Again no mention of the $564,000,000 or the $13.00 per 100K assessed value for 30-40yr.

The $13 per $100K of property value does not include interest costs, right? The interest over 30 years could double the cost.

Outside:

Please educate yourself about the bond process. The amount per $100K of assessed valuation is codified in the measure and cannot be exceeded, that is why the term is variable (30-40 year, not an exact number of years.) The District will be constrained from selling bonds if sale would result in an assessment that exceeds the amount (per 100K of assessed value) that is in the bond measure.

It does take some math to figure this out. Fortunately, there are math classes available to you at our local community colleges!

"It does take some math to figure this out. Fortunately, there are math classes available to you at our local community colleges!"

What would be really cool is if the supporters of H would put any of this simple math in the glossy mailers.

I attended both CSM and Skyline in recent years.
I have always voted for education bonds in the past.
However, this is no longer an education issue.
It's a bond for construction companies to make bank in this tough economy.
I do not have construction workers in my family.
Therefore, I cannot wait to vote this one down.
You pulled a fast one at CSM!