MEASURE

W

Shall a parcel tax based on occupancy, not to exceed the maximum annual amount of $9.50 per single-family parcel and $8.10 per multi-family unit be approved in Alameda and Contra Costa counties for the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) to provide needed operations and maintenance; improve public safety; and provide youth employment opportunities, in order to increase public access to the District's 55 parks, 88,000 acres and 1,000 miles of trails?

This parcel tax Measure W, would be imposed on the occupants of residential property within the East Bay Regional Park District for the privilege of using the parks and trails. The occupants of a single-family residential parcel would pay $9.50 per year and those of each unit in a multi-family residential parcel would pay $8.10 per year. The owner of a property would be required to collect the tax from the occupant. Senior citizens below the poverty level would be eligible for a 50% discount. The Park District would be authorized to contract with the counties involved to collect the tax on the property tax rolls. The revenues would be used for the maintenance and operation of EBRPD parks and recreation facilities.

A YES vote means that the EBRPD would collect from the owner of every single-family residential property within its jurisdiction $9.50 per year, and from every owner of a multi-family residential property, $8.10 per unit per year, to help cover the costs of maintaining and operating the Park District.

A NO vote means that the EBRPD Board would have to propose another way to meet the gap in its finances and/or cut back on staff and services.

· The need for these monies results from voter-approved expansion of EBRPD in 1988 which allowed the District to grow by 1/3 and to provide residents of the District with more parks and recreation facilities.

·Available funding for operating and maintaining regional parks, trails and recreation facilities has remained flat, while costs have continued to rise.

·Passing this tax will strengthen personal safety in the parks by providing additional rangers and safety patrols.

· This modest tax will help ensure that the regional parks and trail system will be protected and kept accessible to all East Bay residents for years to come.

· We have no confidence in a Park District that does not manage our money and our parklands wisely, e.g.,

- EBRPD offers the use of public parkland to private developers as mitigating acreage for the destruction of endangered species habitat caused by their projects.

- The District sends top management on expensive junkets around the country, yet wants to impose fees for school children to learn from District naturalists.

· Measure W is unfair. Only renters and homeowners get hit with permanent higher taxes. All businesses and industries in both counties pay nothing.

· This is a premature, poorly thought out proposal. The EBRPD Directors should go back to the drawing board for an analytical look at the long-term problem and then develop a creative and fair solution. What about out-of- district users? What about McDonald's, Chevron, Blockbuster Video, etc.?

Jean B. Siri, President, EBRPD Board; John A. Nejedly, former State Senator; Nicholas C. Petris, former State Senator; Glenn E. Seaborg, Nobel Laureate; Jocelyn S. Combs, EBRPD Director; Stephen Costa, President, East Bay Regional Parks Foundation.

MAJOR OPPONENTS

Harlan Kessel, President, Citizens for Oakland's Open Space and former EBRPD Director; Mary Lee Jefferds, former EBRPD Director; Mark Shaw, President, East Bay League of Conservation Voters; Lucretia Edwards, Chair, Contra Costa Shoreline Parks; J.H. Engbeck, Chair, Friends of Claremont Canyon; Alan LaPointe, Chair, Friends of Wildcat Canyon; Helen Klebanoff, President, Regional Parks Association; Paul Merrick, Chair, Dunsmuir Ridge Alliance.