According to CityLab as of May 2009, data reported from the California Secretary of State shows 37,806 registered voters in Palo Alto. During the recent election in Palo Alto for City Council, approximately 9,800 voted. Where are the other 75% of the voters? Running a city is not an easy job. The... »
Palo Alto says "NO" to measure A - a 56.42% victory. Measure A was solidly defeated. »
Vote “no” on Measure A, the city’s business tax, to protest how Palo Alto city government has been run in recent years. Think about the Children’s Theater scandal, the profiling of African-Americans and the outrageous bonuses being paid to city workers last year during the same month the stock market collapsed. Usually voters show their disgust... »
Usually when the government proposes a new tax these days, they promise it will pay for a specific service or project. When schools hold bond issues, it’s to raise money to build or refurbish buildings. A school parcel tax allows districts to raise teacher salaries. The storm drain fee that went before voters a... »
Remember the declaration, “No taxation without representation”? That applies to Measure A, the Palo Alto business tax. Many of the business owners who will pay this tax cannot vote in Tuesday’s election because they don’t live in Palo Alto. They do business here, contribute to our community in numerous ways and pay as many as... »
Another reason to vote “no” on Measure A, the Palo Alto business tax, is that the city government has wasted millions on extravagant salaries, and voters shouldn’t reward that behavior. If the city had limited pay raises to the inflation rate starting in 2003, the payroll last year would have been $88 million rather than... »
Here’s another reason to vote against Measure A, the proposed Palo Alto business tax – the tax penalizes landlords who are trying to provide affordable housing. If Measure A is approved, owners of four or more rental units would have to pay a tax of $95 on their first unit and $34 on every other... »
After weighing some of the compelling arguments for and against Palo Alto’s Measure A business license tax proposal, we’re recommending a no vote for a couple of very basic reasons— this doesn’t feel like the right time for a new tax and the city doesn’t have a good track record of spending its money... »
There are only eight paragraphs in the Measure A flyer (Vote Yes), but there are more errors, misguided claims, and dissembling than can be analyzed in pages and pages of response. For instance .. The claim that Measure A will generate $3 million from Palo Alto businesses may be true–but these businesses already paying are more... »
