No Palace Library!

Voters to Council: No Palace Library

Oakland voters made a stunning break with the almost automatic approval of property tax increases that prevailed for ten years or more, defeating Measure N, the city council's $148 million library bond deal.

Yes votes fell more than 2,500 short of the two-thirds majority required to pass. The two-thirds provision will no doubt console councilmember Jean Quan, the lead campaigner for a new main library inside Kaiser Center. Measure N advocates will point to their 63.8 percent, but Quan will keep silent about the more than $150,000 that she raised, largely in big contributions from businesses with City contracts and other special interests. There was no organized fund-raising by the opposition, only people power.

Two years later: The City's financial condition would be much worse now if Measure N had passed. With the collapse of global credit markets, the slightest hint of difficulty in Oakland finances would put the bond-financed palace library project in big trouble. And voters now show increasing resistance to the endless stream of parcel taxes and assessments. History confirms the folly of those who proposed Measure N and the prudence of those who rejected it.

There were many good reasons to reject Measure N. Two groups in particular now insist on good value for their tax money. For senior citizens and other homeowners living on a fixed income, many of them long-time residents of east Oakland in particular, Measure N was a direct attack on the pocketbook. Oakland also has a good number of new homeowners who have stretched to buy a home in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country but also one of the most crime-ridden. Why, they wondered, does City Hall propose a palace library? These are all intelligent people who need to watch their dollars closely.

The Yes on N campaign made the mistake of insulting them. The campaign spent most of its money on meaningless lawn signs (hoping for a bandwagon effect) and on glossy mailings.

For most of the campaign, Quan and crowd tried to ignore questions raised about the exorbitant cost of a palace library downtown, about why Measure N gave only crumbs to the neighborhood libraries, and about secret plans for the existing main library building. Late in October, though, the Yes campaign burst out with a ridiculous claim that the Kaiser Center palace would cost no more than $350 per square foot. It did not help that councilmember Quan charged one citizen with inventing numbers when anyone could do the math with City-supplied figures showing a cost of at least $733 per square foot.

Endorsements for Measure N from Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the League of Women Voters of Oakland proved insufficient. The League did not even hold a public debate on Measure N, a change from its service to democracy in 2004, when it televised a debate on Measure Y.

Opponents of Measure N made good use of the internet. No, the internet cannot substitute for public meetings, one-on-one conversations, and leafleting your friends and neighbors. Nonetheless, a remarkable network of information-sharing about the problems with Measure N grew up. This website, run by Oakland Residents for Peaceful Neighborhoods, played its part by "causing conversations" in the words of one activist, but the network was wide-ranging and decentralized.

Why was Measure N even on the ballot? City Hall leaders walked into a defeat because of councilmember Quan's hubris. She bullied other councilmembers into submitting the scheme to voters. Sadly, despite their doubts they caved in to her browbeating.

• Council president De La Fuente recognized that the tax burden has become too heavy.
  
• The ballot was loaded with a large menu of state bonds.
  
• Councilmember Nadel acknowledged during her mayoral run, "We are fast approaching taxation levels on property that are difficult for owners to sustain."
  
• Only two months earlier, property owners defeated an increase in the so-called Landscape and Lighting Assessment, despite councilmember Quan's illegal use of City funds to campaign for an increase.
  

Perhaps the rest of the council will recognize that they can no longer depend on Quan's property and parcel tax formula – hide behind "the children"; run an airhead campaign; rely on supremely cynical political consultant Larry Tramutola; and spend whatever it takes by raising corruptive sums from businessmen whose eyes are on contracts from the City.

The special interests that poured tens of thousands of dollars into the Measure N campaign do not care about the library. Whether Measure N won or lost, they were simply buying influence. The next time they want a City contract or a planning variance, they will remind City Hall how they "came through."

We call on the city council to conduct legislative hearings establishing in detail how councilmember Quan accepted, and perhaps solicited, campaign contributions from special interests like the City's lobbyist in Sacramento, the company that has a waste recycling contract, the financiers who float Redevelopment Agency bonds, and on and on. The council should enact rules outlawing such contributions.

It's time for the City to proceed with building the branch library at 81st and Rudsdale Avenues. The State gave the City a grant almost two years ago, and library director Martinez said, "It's going to be built, and it's on the way." Instead, the City halted work while it tried to get some money for the branch out of Measure N. Just after Measure N lost, Martinez told a reporter that construction should begin in spring 2007. (Montclarion online, Nov. 9, 2006) Residents have learned to distrust the smallest fudging. Why did Martinez say "should begin" rather than "will begin"? The City must deliver on its unconditional commitment to the deep east Oakland neighborhood before the State grant lapses or is canceled.

During the contention over Measure N, playwright Judith Offer presented evidence suggesting that the City deliberately ran Kaiser Center into the ground as a cultural and entertainment center. We suggest that the new city auditor settle this question before the City discusses what happens to the facility.

Looking back, we see that 2006 has been a breakthrough year for a surging movement of Oakland residents who insist on peaceful streets and efficient government. In February and March more than 1,100 people signed the historic "Enough Is Enough!" petition demanding public safety. In May and June property owners defeated a Landscape and Lighting scam. Now with the rejection of Measure N, Oakland voters have shown they will no longer give automatic approval to badly designed proposals that ignore the City's most urgent priorities.

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