Letter: Measure P False Facts

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Door hangers and campaign literature from the local PAC known as “Yes on P” pushing the sales tax increase are being distributed to residents with a blatantly false statement, intentionally misleading voters with false facts.

The false statement being spun is “Overhead Electrical Utilities #1 Cause of California Fires,” which is 100 percent false. Overhead utilities have never been the top cause of fires in California, not even close. You can fact check it at Cal-Fire. The PAC knows this statement is false and was given an opportunity to retract this false statement from their literature, but they refused, preferring instead to intentionally mislead residents and continue their “fear and fire” campaign.

Referencing an LA Times article with an asterisk, where the reporter clearly did not fact check or his words were taken entirely out of context, does not absolve the Measure P PAC from spewing falsities. It’s disingenuous, just like the city’s “fear and fire” undergrounding campaign.

Unfortunately, with the PAC’s deep pockets, much of it from big property developers (and at least five times the money raised as our grassroots opposition campaign), we can expect to see more such propaganda that plays fast and loose with the facts as we approach Nov. 6.

Is there any wonder there is so little trust in government these days, even on a local city of Laguna Beach level? This “win at any cost,” “the ends justify the means,” and “facts be damned” mentality destroys any level of trust in our elected officials and those trying to shove this tax measure on residents, robbing Peter to benefit Paul.

Before you vote on Measure P, the sales tax increase, ask yourself why the three City Council members and PAC organizers feel it is necessary to mislead residents with false statements. If they are willing to so blatantly mislead voters, what else do they have up their sleeves if Measure P passes and they get their hands on all that tax money?  Just one more reason to Vote no on P.  Join other Laguna residents voting no on Measure P at www.stoptaxingourproperty. Enough is enough.

Jennifer Zeiter, Laguna Beach

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Trees are the real danger in Laguna. According to the Cal Fire press releases provided by supporters of Measure P they show a majority of the fires started due to trees, 9 out of 12 fires. Not to mention homes and cars being crushed by falling trees, Eucalyptus struck again in Tustin killing a women.

  2. Yes, the majority of the 2017 fires were caused by trees falling on wires. So doesn’t it make sense to engage in an aggressive tree trimming program near utility poles for a few thousand dollars, versus increasing taxes and spending hundreds of millions to underground the utility poles themselves? The cost benefit analysis is completely disproportionate, especially considering that only 1.52% of fires in Laguna over the past 10 years were “caused” by utilities. That’s less than 2% historical risk. Don’t buy the fear and fire campaign of the City – its disingenuous. Measure P is a money grab – read the small print and see how open ended and over broad is the language. Voters are being fooled – Read Section 16 carefully before you vote. The City is playing voters for fools and will use the Measure P sales tax increase money like a shell game, just moving money around, robbing Peter to benefit Paul. Pay as we go, don’t raise our taxes or put us in debt.

  3. Very sad. This will not only impact us as residents for everything we buy, but will put a damper on our real estate going forward. Laguna has had residents pay for many things in the past (Laguna Canyon, Land that the Sanctuary City has dedicated to Day Workers with maintenance monthly. This scare tactic will allow the city to not only dedicate this income ($8m PLUS) per year to anything related to the fire department, not only under grounding these wires. The utility company should pay for this not us residents. We pay high bills for utilities!! The city could have thought about our safety and put the money from the Village Entrance towards the whole city being put underground. Why then don’t we just let this keep going indefinitely and DO ALL OF LAGUNA!! There are several neighborhoods that will get a free ride, which is not fair.

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