League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Alameda County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Measure A1 Oakland Zoo Humane Animal Care/Education Protection Measure Alameda County 2/3 Approval Required Fail: 340933 / 62.99% Yes votes ...... 200333 / 37.01% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure A1

Arguments Against Measure A1

The animals at the Oakland Zoo need your help! Vote YES on A1 to give Oakland Zoo animals the quality, humane care they deserve. YES on A1 cares for and meets the basic needs of Zoo animals.: YES on A1 ensures animals are safe and enclosures well maintained. YES on A1 provides animals food, heating/cooling, and clean, fresh watering systems. Yes on A1 repairs aging animal shelters and deteriorating sewage/drainage systems, some of which are 40+ years old. Yes on A1 retains quality veterinarians to care for sick and aging animals. YES on A1 supports the Zoo's work with wildlife conservation and animal rescue organizations, saving animals wounded in the wild. YES on A1 gives sanctuary to endangered species, such as the California Condor; retired circus animals, including lions, tigers and elephants; and animals rescued from abuse. Measure A1 is endorsed by leading conservation organizations including Ventana Wildlife Society, Felidae Conservation Fund and Bay Area Puma Project. The Oakland Zoo educates children about wildlife and nature in a way that just isn't possible through books. More than 200,000 Alameda County children visited the Zoo last year. YES on A1 doubles the number of school children served by the Zoo at a time when local schools are cutting science programs and field trips. YES on A1 maintains children's educational programs/school field trips YES on A1 provides science/nature education to students who often have none in schools Measure A1 requires strict fiscal accountability, including independent financial audits, citizens oversight, and an Expenditure Plan to ensure funds are spent as promised. Low-income seniors are exempt. At only $1 per month, veterinarians, teachers, and Alameda County families agree YES on A1 is a small price to pay to protect Zoo educational programs and ensure animals receive quality, humane care. Visit: http://www.ItsYourZoo.org. /s/ Nate Miley, President, Alameda County Board of Supervisors /s/ Joel J. Parrott, Veterinarian, Executive Director, Oakland Zoo /s/ Sheila Jordan, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools /s/ Judith Cox, Government Accountability and Transparency Advocate /s/ Caleb Cheung, Recipient of Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching Rebuttal to Arguments For Measure A1 sounds good --who doesn't support animal welfare and education? But there are troubling provisions in this measure you might want to check out for yourself. First, the measure lumps in so many spending options that there's no requirement the money will go for what the ballot summary says it will. In fact, it specifically lets zoo executives delete items and spend the money for other things, including expanding, constructing and financing new facilities--allowing them to direct parcel taxes to their proposed new big expansion that would put a three-story visitor center, restaurant, gift shop and bay view offices atop rare wildlife and plant habitat in Knowland Park. Second, the public can't ever amend the measure, except to extend or increase taxes--no matter how bad economic conditions get. Low-income senior citizens would have to file for an exemption directly with the zoo operator each and every year. And the zoo is run by a private nonprofit corporation with no publicly elected representatives and isn't required to follow California's open records and meetings laws. There are many other needs right now that are higher priority. Schools, libraries, and government services for the needy require money, too. We can't afford everything. Zoo executives need to live within their means like the rest of us. This election offers a real choice between something very costly--in dollars and environmental losses--and something priceless: defending Knowland Park's ecological treasures and good public policy. Vote No on Measure A1! http://www.saveknowland.org /s/ Laura Baker, Committee Member, East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society /s/ Ruth E. Malone, Co-Chair, Friends of Knowland Park /s/ Jeff Miller, Director, Alameda Creek Alliance /s/ Jim Hanson, President, California Native Grasslands Association /s/ Elizabeth Baker, Vice President, Resource Renewal Institute

Vote NO on this measure. Even if you love the zoo, this tax is bad public policy, creating an open checkbook for zoo executives to use for virtually any zoo expense. It forces Alameda County taxpayers to pay at least $112 million in Oakland Zoo bills over the next 25 years. The zoo already takes in millions in public funding, including city funds, hotel taxes, Regional Park District funds, bonds money and a State Parks grant. But zoo executives want more--to build a "supersized" expansion project in unspoiled Knowland Park, Oakland's largest and biologically richest park, paving over threatened wildlife habitat and rare native plant communities. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups opposed the controversial Knowland Park expansion. Now zoo executives say they won't use these funds for it. But loopholes explicitly written into this tax measure give the zoo carte blanche to spend the funds for "constructing" and "expanding"--or to add projects later. Even if not used to build zoo executives' expansion with its bay view offices, the taxes free up other funds for this. So, while the public may think it's voting to create humane conditions for captive animals, there's no guarantee they aren't unwittingly voting to fund extensive environmental damage in Knowland Park and destruction of threatened native wildlife habitat. Zoo executives now claim they haven't enough money to care for the animals they already have, while planning to spend multi-millions on a big expansion. When governments are struggling to cover basic services and programs, is this top priority? It just doesn't add up. Show zoo executives and politicians that you want honest dialogue about public spending priorities that includes protecting native wildlife habitat AND caring for cherished zoo animals. Please vote NO on Measure A1! More info: http://www.saveknowland.org /s/ Laura Baker, East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society /s/ Ruth E. Malone, Co-Chair, Friends of Knowland Park /s/ Jim Hanson, President, California Native Grasslands Association /s/ Jeff Miller, Director, Alameda Creek Alliance /s/ Elizabeth Baker, Vice President, Resource Renewal Institute Rebuttal to Arguments Against Did the opponents even bother to read the official ballot language? Vote YES on A1 -- the money is legally required to be spent on Humane Animal Care! Read the official wording yourself in your voter handbook. FACT: Measure A1's Expenditure Plan specifies that ALL funds must be spent as promised to taxpayers, for the following purposes: Quality Humane Animal Care Basic Animal Needs Educational Programs for Children Maintaining Zoo Affordability/Visitor Safety FACT: Measure A1 requires an Independent Citizens Oversight Committee to ensure funds are spent as promised to you, the taxpayer. By law, the A1 Oversight Committee must include Conservation/Environmental and Animal Rights representatives, the League of Women Voters, Taxpayer and Senior advocates, and a PTA representative. FACT: YES on A1 costs just $1/month -- pennies a day -- to give Oakland Zoo animals quality care. "YES on A1 allows the Oakland Zoo to continue quality care for Zoo animals." -Jim Maddy, President/CEO, National Association of Zoos & Aquariums "Oakland Zoo animals deserve quality care. Many are retired circus animals or animals rescued from abuse -- YES on A1 ensures more animals can be rescued and get the care they need." -Laura Maloney, Chief Operating Officer, Humane Society of the United States and Pat Derby, Co-Director, Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) "YES on A1 supports the Oakland Zoo's wildlife conservation and animal rescue efforts, saving animals wounded in the wild and giving sanctuary to endangered species." -Ron Kagan, Founding Member, Center for Zoo Animal Welfare Join us: http://www.itsyourzoo.org /s/ Dr. Kim R. Carlson, Veterinarian/President, Alameda County Veterinary Medical Association /s/ Betty Yee, Board of Equalization, Member /s/ Dr. Joel Parrott, Veterinarian/Executive Director, Oakland Zoo /s/ Judith Cox, Government Accountability and Transparency Advocate /s/ Gary Twitchell, Knowland Park Neighbor and lifetime Sierra Club member