League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Alameda, Contra Costa County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Measure WW Bond Measure East Bay Regional Park District 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 671,485 / 71.9% Yes votes ...... 262,212 / 28.1% No votes    294018 (71.66%) Yes / 116289 (28.34%) No in Contra Costa County    377467 (72.12%) Yes / 145923 (27.88%) No in Alameda County See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure WW

Arguments Against Measure WW

Vote Yes on Measure WW to protect and preserve our East Bay Regional Parks. The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is widely considered to be one of the most successful examples of integrated parklands in any urban area in America. With Alameda and Contra Costa Counties' populations growing rapidly, Measure WW is needed to preserve our vanishing open space, available parklands, and shoreline. Measure WW extends the existing parks bond measure passed by voters in 1988. The 2008 bond extension will not increase your taxes. It has bipartisan support. The original 1988 ballot measure made possible our current system of parks, thousands of acres of protected open space, and hundreds of miles of trails throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. All of the revenue from 2008's Measure WW is local and will stay in our two counties to protect and preserve our parks. 25% of the revenue will fund city parks and recreation departments. 75% will fund regional park acquisitions, open space preservation, new parks and trails for walking, hiking, and biking, environmental maintenance, the rehabilitation of aging park facilities, and wildlife habitat restoration. Measure WW is also crucial for environmental sustainability. The vegetation in our Regional Parks absorbs the same amount of carbon dioxide that is produced by over 80,000 cars. Voting yes on WW will help us fight global climate change at the local level. Measure WW will also help protect and renew our urban creeks and ponds, which will enhance the quality of drinking water for our communities. A citizen's oversight committee will ensure that Measure WW's funding is spent as promised. Measure WW has something for everyone. For a complete project list, please visit http://www.yesforparks.org Vote Yes on Measure WW for our East Bay Regional Parks. George Miller Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Member of Congress Chapter Norman La Force, Chair Ayn Wieskamp Doug Siden President, East Bay Regional Park Chair, Yes For Parks Committee District Board of Directors Marion Taylor, Vice-President, Action League of Women Voters of the Bay Area Rebuttal to Arguments For NO on Measure WW ! As a former Tri-Valley Herald editor observes, EBRPD's $500 MILLION bond represents "another hit on folks struggling to make ends meet...." Since EBRPD "struggles to operate the land and facilities it already owns," voters should "ask whether spending more on acquiring park land is a higher priority than fixing environmental challenges in the Delta" threatening "water supply and native fish" (07-20-08). Venture very far into EBRPD "parklands," and you'll find neglected grounds and facilities, with much of EBRPD's existing 98,000 acres off limits. EBRPD's non-bond revenues, rising much faster than inflation and population growth combined, could readily maintain -- even expand -- such resources. Instead, EBRPD's top-heavy bureaucracy irresponsibly reroutes what should be maintenance, restoration, preservation, and accessibility dollars into lavish compensation packages and enormous consultant fees. Handing EBRPD another $500 MILLION won't affect global climate change. Prominent conservation organizations, signing the California Rangeland Resolution, recognize that rangelands and their critical species habitats "largely persist today due to positive and experienced... land stewardship practices" of private owners / managers. Conservation easements on private lands, guaranteeing tax revenues without future residential or commercial development, promote cost-effective habitat preservation. EBRPD is promoting WW with public funds. And the League of Women Voters, given $9,000 by EBRPD since last November, now cheerleads for WW. Before acquiring more land-purchase money, EBRPD must reacquire the mission it advertises: to "provide recreational opportunities, ensure the natural beauty of the land, and protect wildlife habitat." See separate arguments: http://www.NOonMeasureWW.org. MORE INFORMATION: http://www.NOonWW.info Kenneth R. Arras Luana L. Layton Chairman, Citizens for Business Owner; Adult- Responsible Government Education Prison Instructor Donald Lively Michael Arata Telecommunications Consultant, Water-Treatment Consultant; Retired Former Chemistry Instructor and Swim Coach Karen Weber Former EBRPD Chief, Personnel, 1977-1996

Amid high food and fuel prices, home-mortgage and property-tax defaults, and other severe economic hardships, Measure WW perpetuates taxes that would otherwise expire. EBRPD already controls 153 SQUARE MILES of parkland ! Additional private property purchased with Measure WW's $500 MILLION (plus interest up to 12%!) would no longer generate tax revenues for police and fire protection, local schools, hospitals, or libraries. EBRPD wants the land of family farmers -- who manage their property responsibly, providing healthy foods and wildlife habitats, who pay large taxes rather than consume them. EBRPD should expand recreational opportunities in existing parkland, with existing funds, not reduce the number of local farms and ranches that feed our community. Further land set-asides make housing even more unaffordable. (Contra Costa County already mandates 65% open space.) Taxes now consume half the next dollar earned by many East Bay families. Many work so hard to pay taxes that there's little time left to enjoy regional parks! Parks... not PERKS ! Measure WW's fine print says its advertised project list can "be modified by the Board in future years." Meanwhile, many of Measure WW's MILLIONS would finance maintenance and preservation projects which EBRPD's existing general fund could and should fund now. But the same general fund diverts too many millions to exorbitant EBRPD wages and benefits instead: EBRPD's general manager makes $216,923 annually; seven "assistant general managers," $162,843 to $197,101; "administrative assistants" $101,878. Even starting gardeners get $51,917! It's all-aboard on EBRPD's taxpayer-fueled gravy train. Benefits add another 70%, rocketing EBRPD's average 2008 per-employee compensation costs to $113,191 annually -- up 20% just since 2005 ! During 2007-08, EBRPD has paid its tax-measure consultants $185,500. Let's require responsible use of existing EBRPD funds -- and reject OUTRAGEOUS employee costs, more bureaucracy, and new TAXES. PLEASE VOTE NO ON MEASURE WW ! Daniel Marciel, President Alameda County Farm Bureau Ken Hambrick, Chairman Alliance of Contra Costa Taxpayers Marilynne L. Mellander, Save El Sobrante Coordinator Paul Spinola, President Contra Costa County Farm Bureau Kenneth D. Steadman, President Waste Watchers, Inc. (Fremont) Rebuttal to Arguments Against Opponents of Measure WW are trying to confuse you Measure WW will not raise taxes. It extends the existing bond program at the current tax rate. The District receives annual awards for accurate and responsible budgeting and always balances its budgets. The District has an "AAA" bond rating. A citizen's oversight committee oversees all spending. Measure WW protects agriculture and ranching. The District allows ranching to continue in its parklands. It ensures that agriculture remains in the East Bay and that we continue to preserve our rural landscape. Measure WW will allow the East Bay Regional Park District to do what it does best: Preserve open space and habitat, expand parks and trails, improve local parks, and protect and restore our urban creeks and watersheds. Meet the desires of a rapidly expanding population and ensure more accessible parkland near your neighborhood. Benefit over 67 current and future parks, trails, creeks and shoreline projects. Projects include: Expanding the Bay, East Bay Greenway, Delta and Ridge Trails Preserving wetlands along the Oakland and Richmond shorelines Improving the Eastshore State Park and Martin Luther King Junior Shoreline Creating a new regional park at the Concord Naval Weapons Station Increasing access at Briones, Sunol and Pleasanton Ridges Building and renovating local and regional park visitor facilities For a complete list: http://www.yesforparks.org Vote Yes on Measure WW so the East Bay Regional Park District can continue to provide you with exceptional regional parks. Barbara Lee, Member of Congress Linda Best, President of Contra Costa Council Richard Rainey, Retired State Senator & Sheriff Robert A. Wilkins, President and CEO YMCA of the East Bay Tim Koopmann, Rancher

Tax Rate Statement

An election will be held in the East Bay Regional Park District (the "District") on November 4, 2008, to authorize the sale of up to $500,000,000 in bonds of the District to finance the continued acquisition of land for open space; protection of wildlife and its habitat; restoration of urban creeks; preservation of wetlands and bay shoreline; and acquisition, development and improvement of local and regional parks, trails, and recreation facilities as described in the ballot measure. If the bonds are approved, the District expects to sell the bonds in several series over time. Principal and interest on the bonds will be payable from the proceeds of tax levies made upon the taxable property in the District. The information contained in numbered paragraphs 1 + 3 below is provided in compliance with Sections 9400-9404 of the Elections Code of the State of California. 1. The best estimate of the tax which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 0.96 cents per $100 ($9.60 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2009-10. 2. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 0.91 cents per $100 ($9.10 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2025-26. 3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 0.96 cents per $100 ($9.60 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2009-10. Voters should note that the estimated tax rates are based on the ASSESSED VALUE of taxable property on the County's official tax rolls, not on the property's market value. Property owners should consult their own property tax bills to determine their property's assessed value and any applicable tax exemptions. Attention of all voters is directed to the fact that the foregoing information is based upon the District's projections and estimates only, which are not binding upon the District. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated, due to variations from these estimates in the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold and market interest rates at the time of each sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The dates of sale and the amount of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the District based on its needs for funds and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of each sale. Actual future assessed valuation will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the District as determined by the County Assessor in the annual assessment and the equalization process. Dated: August 4, 2008. Pat O'Brien General Manager East Bay Regional Park District