Since the unions, not the City Council, sponsored the sales tax increase, a minimum of 5,573 valid signatures had to be collected to get their initiative on the ballot.  The Police Officer’s Association assisted their well-paid consultant and initiative petitioner of record, resident Glenn Kennedy, by hiring paid signature gatherers to stand in front of stores and walk door-to-door in neighborhoods.  Those signature gatherers told quite a few lies to get residents to sign the petition. Some of the lies are still being told. 

 

What Really Happened?

 

The signature gathering process was not, as Measure WC’s supporters want you to think, a pleasant process showing 6,000 residents joyfully signing in support of their “revenue enhancement measure for our city.”  The supporters won’t even call it a tax increase in their ballot statements.  Why not call it what it is—a tax increase.

 

The truth is the signatures were gathered mainly through misinformation, lies, and scare tactics. 

 

Residents brought their concerns to the city council and asked that the council get involved.  Here’s two examples:

 

• Resident Minerva Avila explains intimidation tactics used to get signatures, the lack of a response she received after she emailed her concerns to the city council and city manager, and that it took writing state legislators for her to get a terse “your concerns were noted” reply from City Manager David Carmany.