What are they thinking? What the (insert expletive here) is the Vallejo City Council majority doing by pushing Measure P — yet another increase in Vallejo sales tax — down our throats? It's my understanding that the city staff specifically requested this letter to be assigned to this measure. Why? Because it is quite simply, proverbial poop, and it isn't pretty!
The City of Vallejo already suffers inflated salaries. Indeed, over 80% of our money goes to extremely high employee salaries. In addition, they have pretty snazzy toys like company cars, expensive gas to go with them, and more gadgets, and plush benefits than the average person could only dream about. The city manager and his two hired assistant manager sidekicks do not even live here.
And I have a secret: They could probably care less about our little town, too.
Not too long ago, if you can believe this, the council majority, with the city manager's encouragement and blessing, sold 156 valuable acres on North Mare Island for mere pennies on the dollar of what it is worth! This was an abject waste of taxpayers' money. Furthermore, the council majority of five people approved the purchase of a house next to the water plant — which was on the open real estate market for about $500,000, but they bought it for upwards of $800,000. Now, does that make any sense at all?
There are still homeless on every corner, but when millions of dollars for a homeless Navigation Center could not be accounted for, the council majority looked the other way, despite the mayor's urging demands for accountability. That center has still not been built.
Then they had the great idea of putting the homeless into hotels for the winter. This seemed like a humanitarian plan, but the well-paid city staff did not properly monitor it, and sadly, seven people died in unexplained fashion during that debacle.
Now the city is facing millions of dollars in out-of-control lawsuits, many involving the police. So, what does the council majority try to do? They propose to slap a tax on the backs of the poor which will greatly affect small businesses and the very poor who cannot get into their cars and drive elsewhere to shop. Why? Because many of them do not even have dependable transportation, and they certainly don't have expensive company cars or expense accounts.
Remember, it takes four votes on the city council to get anything accomplished for, of, and by the people. Three members are leaving the council in a few months. Please vote for people with intelligence and common sense. Please vote for those who are not sponsored by special interest groups and private money people looking for their personal gain.
Please let us vote for new council members who can work together and stop these all too frequent five votes for the city manager's whims — and two votes usually against. Let's finally rid ourselves of a majority of special interest puppets, and rubber stampers on the city council!
And whatever we do, let's tell the city where they can stick Measure P. It's a major problem _ with a capital "P." Please vote no on "P" — for Pete's sake! We cannot continue to throw our money down the ever-present, problematic rabbit hole. Way too much money has already been wasted. And in the meantime, our potholes are little by little becoming craters and pretty soon, we shall all be swallowed up alive.
— Paula McConnell/Vallejo
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