Santa Maria is my home, and I work with many people in this community through nonprofits. I have seen firsthand that Santa Maria has a huge need for more police officers and firefighters. I want to see our city restored to a safer condition so that it is more attractive to live here and retain and recruit businesses.
I am particularly concerned about the fact that Santa Maria does not have adequate resources to address the safety needs of the community. It is worth paying just one-quarter of one cent extra in sales tax to restore and maintain essential city services, such as neighborhood police patrols, firefighter staffing, at-risk youth programs, and better 911 response times.
Measure U would only cost 25 cents for every $100 spent in taxable goods. Food, groceries, rent, prescription drugs, medical, and other services are exempt from Measure U. People from other communities who shop in Santa Maria would help pay for our essential city services. Without Measure U, there will be no additional investment into our community. I believe we need to pass Measure U on June 5.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2012.
