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A Trivial Exchange
From: Nicholas Vigilante
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2005 9:03 PM
To: OPD@yahoogroups.com; psa3@yahoogroups.com; psa5@yahoogroups.com; safetyfirst@yahoogroups.com
Subject: A Question for a Measure Y Opponent
I do not disagree with Mr. Pine that Oakland needs more Police Officers. That's why I and many others campaigned hard for Measure Y, to help bring more Police Officers to Oakland. LA will need a tax parcel measure just like Oakland's successful Measure Y to hire more Police Officers for LA.
Mr. Pine, you campaigned throughout Oakland against Measure Y. Can you please clarify why you campaigned against bringing more Police Officers to Oakland?
Nick Vigilante
Montclair
Dear Mr. Vigilante:
I welcome your statement that Oakland needs more police.
If you want to review my history in the Measure Y campaign, it is widely available. See the ballot arguments, for example.
Of course, the voters passed Measure Y, and I accept the decision. The council started collecting the parking tax illegally last January and expects to collect and spend the parcel tax – but the obligated 802 police are nowhere in sight.
The challenge now is to get the council to follow the letter of the ordinance and the commitments they made while campaigning for it. That's what http://www.orpn.org is all about. I invite you to take a look.
Sincerely,
Charles Pine
Oakland Residents for Peaceful Neighborhoods
http://www.orpn.org
Editor's Note: Mr. Vigilante is on the Community Policing Advisory Board. He supported Measure R, the parent of Measure Y that voters defeated when they learned that it had no guaranteed number of additional police officers. When a critic of this website called a member of Oakland Residents for Peaceful Neighborhoods a "racist creep," Mr. Vigilante wrote that what she said is true. Apparently given to personalized controversy, Mr. Vigilante filed a complaint with the city ethics commission against David Stein, opponent of Jean Quan in a council race. When the commission staff recommended against his complaint, Mr. Vigilante dropped it.
Although Mr. Vigilante states his opinion that Los Angeles needs a parcel tax, public discussion in Los Angeles has been about other means of financing, not a parcel tax.
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