I don’t like taxes any more than the next person, but I am voting for Measure U on June 5, and here’s why:
It will save me $320 a year when it contributes to the completion of the levee and my home is no longer in a flood zone, allowing me to discontinue my flood insurance. It will provide more police officers for the Santa Maria Police Department gang suppression unit, a critical public safety issue. It will fund firefighters for our new fire station, which might otherwise be kept locked until the economy improves. It has an expiration date and provides revenue that cannot be raided by our dysfunctional state Legislature. It represents just one-quarter of a cent for every dollar I spend in Santa Maria.
This is one tax I can live with.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2012.