League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sacramento County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Measure D Incorporation Proposed City of Arden Arcade Majority Approval Required Fail: 6,927 / 24.57% Yes votes ...... 21,266 / 75.43% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure D

Arguments Against Measure D

A "Yes" vote on Measure D will allow us to restore vital services like Sheriff's patrols, anti-gang efforts and community policing - without raising taxes. The County can no longer afford to provide essential services to our neighborhoods: they've drastically cut public safety, planning, street maintenance and other services. Voting "Yes" on Measure D will help us repair our roads, clean up blight and support vital services - without raising taxes. Right now, more than 40% of the money from our community is essentially exported to other neighborhoods. A "Yes" vote on will keep those dollars here, providing vital services for our residents and neighborhoods. Some politicians falsely claimed a new city means higher taxes; but that is just not true. Leading Taxfighters - like the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and People's Advocate- have stated clearly that creating a new city does not raise taxes. An independent financial review shows that a new city would be financially stable and viable - with about the same level of funding as Citrus Heights with no new taxes. Vote Yes on D - it will help provide more law enforcement and vital services without raising taxes one dime! s/Ted Costa, CEO People's Advocate s/Joshua Wood, Past Chairman Arden Arcade Community Planning Councils Rob Harrison, Board Member Fulton-El Camino Park & Recreation District s/Kevin Mickelson, President Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association Rebuttal to Arguments For Here is what cityhood proponents aren't telling us. They're not telling us that the California Highway Patrol will no longer provide traffic enforcement and critical second responder services in the new city. We will lose half the law enforcement officers currently serving our community. It will cost at least $2.5 million to replace them. That's a public safety risk we can't afford. They're not telling us that they're relying on risky state Vehicle License Fees to pay for about a quarter of the new city's budget. The state routinely withholds those funds from California cities, and in some months it has deferred up to 95 percent of total receipts! They're not telling us that that their own fiscal analysis assumes nearly $20 million in annual sales tax revenues-- increasing every year--without accounting for the fact that car dealerships, shopping centers and other businesses are declining. The new city's budget is like a house of cards-- casting doubt on a host of new services promised to residents. They're not telling us that their own fiscal analysis reveals a new city would be financially risky: "The new City could experience shortfalls or inadequate fund balances during its initial years of operations." They're not telling us that they're making promises they can't keep. Built-in shortfalls mean reduced services or tax increases. That's sure to make Arden-Arcade a second-class city. Measure D is simply a risk we can't afford. Vote NO on Measure D. s/James Beckwith, Bank President/Wilhaggin Resident s/Fred Dowdle, California Highway Patrol Sgt. (retired)/ Del Paso Manor Resident s/Michael Lyon, Businessman/Realtor/Arden Oaks Resident s/Daniel Orey, CSUS Professor/ Town and Country Resident s/William Welker, USAF Lt. Colonel (retired)/Church Volunteer/ Misson Oaks Resident

Arden Arcade cityhood is a risk we can't afford. More bureaucracy means more employees, more costly pensions, more health plans, more equipment, more politicians, more offices and more taxes - all paid for out of your pocket. And if voters don't approve the new taxes needed to pay for all this extra government, we'll be stuck with a second-class city! Advocates cite no important reason for incorporating this residential area. They are trying to scare us into supporting their scheme by suggesting we will be able to put more police officers on the streets. But other cities in the region have more crime than we do in the unincorporated Arden Arcade community. Adding more officers will not come free - Measure D will cost you more in taxes! It's irresponsible to propose a costly new city, especially during a severe recession when property and sales tax revenues - from car dealerships, shopping centers and other businesses - have declined sharply. We cannot count on taxes from our local businesses to pay for new planning departments, public works, finance offices, weed abatement crews, street maintenance and other city functions already provided by the county. Taxes will have to go up. Unlike other new cities, Arden Arcade is fully built out. We cannot count on growth and development as Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove did to pay for new city services. You will foot that bill. Under law, the new city would have to reimburse Sacramento County $219 million over 35 years - $8.7 million in the first year alone! Experts estimate revenues in Arden Arcade will fall short of the amount needed to meet that obligation. Again, you will have to make up the difference in higher taxes. What will you really get if we create Arden Arcade, California? Higher taxes! Vote No on Measure D. s/Mike Duveneck, Chair Sacramentans Against Measure D s/Rick Martinez, Chief Emeritus Sacramento Metro Fire District s/Kristin M. Elser, Parent/Garden of Gods resident s/John Frisch, Businessman/Arden Park resident s/Stan Atkinson, TV News Anchor/reporter (retired)/Arden Arcade resident Rebuttal to Arguments Against Measure D doesn't raise taxes - leading tax-fighting groups like Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the People's Advocate agree. Any claim that Measure D raises taxes is simply false. Ask yourself: is your neighborhood better than it was 3 years ago? Are your roads or parks better? Is it safer? Sacramento County is broke; they've cut hundreds of Deputy Sheriffs and other vital programs; raised rates on services and still face a multi-million dollar budget deficit and huge pension debts. Clearly, the biggest risk to our families and neighborhoods is doing nothing! It's unbelievable and irresponsible to say that County budget cuts haven't dramatically reduced vital services in our neighborhoods, including law enforcement. The fact is, our community has less than 1/2 the law enforcement protection as Citrus Heights or Rancho Cordova - that's why they doubled police protection (without new or higher taxes!) Every independent analysis shows our community exports over 40% of our tax-dollars to other areas. A study by the Sacramento Local Area Formation Commission (available at http://www.saclafco.org) also shows the new city will be financially stable - while still paying a fair share for county-wide services like CPS and the District Attorney's office. Why support Measure D? Voting "Yes" will improve public safety, help create jobs, clean-up neighborhoods, restore programs for children and seniors and let us take control of our future instead of relying on downtown politicians to watch out for us. Visit http://www.ArdenArcadeCity.org to see the facts for yourself. s/Patricia Harrington, President Del Paso Manor Home Owner's Association s/Michael E. Grace, President Arden Manor Neighborhood Association s/Anthony A. Hernandez, Arden Arcade Planning Commissioner s/Joe Green, Founder & Coordinator Cowen Neighborhood Watch