Measure Y: Councilmembers insisted that Oakland, a city with half a police department, would get 802 police. Well, we are paying more taxes, but we have fewer officers – less than 700 – than when the council wrote Measure Y in July 2004. In court filings the City now denies that Measure Y requires even one additional officer!
 
Measure DD: Measure DD was sold as a list of 21 specific projects. Nothing implied decimation of hundreds of trees around Lake Merritt in one fell swoop. As columnist Peggy Stinnett observed, "The official name of Measure DD is the Oakland Trust for Clean Water and Safe Parks. ... At this point, the City has little credibility. The word 'trust' is a joke, say some." (Oakland Tribune, Jan. 19, 2006)
 
Measure Q: Councilmembers offered a long list of goodies for Measure Q, including "restore staff reductions." However, the very next City budget cut four positions from general fund support for the library, plus additional reductions in the Measure Q fund.
 
Now the LLAD: Councilmembers want us to vote a big jump, plus automatic annual increases, in the Landscape and Lighting assessment. The council is constantly funding pet political projects, like grants to PUEBLO that were used for vacations, jewelry, and illegal campaigning on a ballot measure. Then the council turns around and says, we need more money for street lighting. No way! We are tired of the endless requests for regressive special taxes while receiving less and less basic service, from public safety to street maintenance.

Experience shows, you cannot trust Oakland councilmembers. We must tell them we will no longer pay and pay, only to be deceived and betrayed. This is not the way to run a government.