LLAD Scam Defeated 68-32, But City Insults Voters

According to privately counted results of the mail-in ballot concerning an increase in the Landscape and Lighting Assessment tax (LLAD), the vote was at least 68 to 32 percent against.

Official results showed a rejection vote of 53.3 percent against to 46.7 percent in favor. However, this total includes a huge vote from the City's cronies at the Port of Oakland. In the voting, which is weighted by the amount of tax paid, the Port's million-dollar ballot was nearly half of the Yes vote. Removing the Port vote shows a 68 to 32 percent defeat of the LLAD increase.

Single-family homeowners voted 58.5 percent to 41.5 percent against the tax hike, which would have established automatic yearly "inflation" increases, too. Also voting against were the school district, hospitals, hotels, apartment owners, condominium owners, churches, and industrial properties. The commercial property vote was almost evenly divided.

The only significant Yes voters joining the Port were "tall buildings" and utilities (PG&E, EBMUD, etc.). (clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/attachments/14134.pdf)

Voters realized that only 45 cents of every increased dollar would go to parks and lighting, as admitted by the City itself. Voters rejected yet another regressive parcel tax. Voters understood that there is one city budget, and new parcel tax money does not really go to parks and lighting, just as new Measure Y taxes have brought no additional police officers.

Despite the overwhelming rejection of the tax increase, City staff do not get the message. In their report they list several options for the council in the wake of the defeated increase. One is to "Go back out with another LLAD increase as soon as possible, this has been done in other cities with success (due to the public's understanding of the impacts of a significant reduction in service)."

We cannot speak for other cities, but the Oakland public is coming to the realization that the choice is not either pay more or get less basic service. The voters are trying to tell the councilmembers that they must give first priority to basic infrastructure and public safety. Stop the giveaways to favored developers and the endless grants to political allies in private "non-profit" agencies.

Indeed, at the same July 18, 2006 council meeting that is scheduled to accept the LLAD defeat, the agenda also includes a long list of handouts to the developer of the Fox theatre project, not to mention the giveaway terms of the Oak-to-Ninth housing development. The latter will add 3,100 housing units or some 5,000 new residents. The council approves new housing, showering it with subsidies, but the council has no plan to get Oakland up to the 1,100 police officers it needs – just to achieve some public safety for the Oaklanders who are already here.

As demanded by ORPN, the City released the LLAD vote tally, although there was no citizen oversight of the count done by a private firm, Francisco & Associates, in its San Ramon offices.

We still need to know how much the City and Waste Management spent stuffing our garbage bills with propaganda for the LLAD last winter. We still need to learn how much was raised in large contributions from City-funded developer Phil Tagami and others.

Release the campaign finance figures!
  (We pried out some of the information)
No park cutbacks!
Staff Oakland with 1,100 police and 20 Park Rangers!