Tell Council – our police and fire are NOT options paid for with ballot measures!
Also – Fiesta La Ballona this weekend!
A ballot box will be available.
Ballots are due Tuesday the 26th for the all mail-in Ballot Measure CL – a ¼% sales tax increase in Culver City. Councilmembers O’Brien and Vera are both urging YES to keep the city solvent. But needless to say, everyone is upset about having to approve yet another tax increase, especially after Council recklessly approved:
- $20 million for Jubilo Village “affordable housing project” – conveniently run by Freddy Puza’s campaign manager, Disa Lindgren
- $6.5 million to buy out Martin Retting gun store – spearheaded by fly-by-night activist group “Culver 878”
- $2.5 million to bail out CCUSD (while this may have been necessary, this weighs on CCUSD’s financial recklessness)
We say this because it’s important to understand the text of the ballot measure, so we understand what Council majority is up to:
“Shall an ordinance providing funding for maintaining three fully-staffed fire stations/911 emergency response times; retaining firefighters, paramedics, police officers; homeless reduction services/ encampment prevention; improving parks/fields; repairing potholes/streets/storm drains; senior/youth services and other General Fund uses, by enacting a 1/4 cent sales tax, providing approximately $5,600,000 annually until ended by voters, requiring all funds locally controlled, audits/public spending disclosures, be adopted?”
Meaning – while they squandered all our money on pet projects (leading us to tap into our reserve funds), they are asking for a sales tax increase to fund basic city services like fire and police. And more so, “encampment prevention” which the last moderate Council seemed to do just fine with no tax increases.
This is an utterly cynical move by progressive Councilmembers Puza, McMorrin, and Fish, who denied they would defund the police if elected. They have set up a scenario to do just that.
We have decided not to endorse a YES or NO position on this ballot measure, due to popular opposition to any more tax increases. But it’s important to especially call out Councilmember Puza, who’s up for re-election next year: