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| You? Yeah probably. |
The 2014 defeat of the 10% attempted UUT cash grab saved taxpayers another $500,000 in 2015 as the sunset rate declined to 8%.
That is $2,000,000 that stayed in the pockets of City of Sierra Madre residents instead of going to CalPERS and SMPD pay raises. Or $200 for every man, woman and child in town. All thanks to Sierra Madre volunteers and donors, with not one cent having come from police or public employee unions.
All too logical and good to last, of course. The capacity of people to be deceived into voting against their own interests is the bread and butter of politics. No political consultant ever went broke pandering to the conceits and delusions of the easily misled.
Armed with around $30,000 in largely questionable money, along with maudlin sob stories about Baby Rhyme Time and Barks & Books, the stone cold cynic who ran the "Yes On Measure UUT" campaign bamboozled the low information voters in town into believing that everything they thought they loved about Sierra Madre would go away if they didn't vote themselves one of the highest utility tax rates in the state of California.
The biggest whopper of all being that somehow passing Measure UUT would "save" the Sierra Madre Police Department. Which, of course, it will not. And yes, we have all the evidence needed to show you that this is true. And it comes from a not all that surprising source.
Tricky Truitt
The fellow that was brought in by John Harabedian and John Capoccia to run the "Yes On Measure UUT" campaign, Pasadena Republican political consultant Martin Truitt, made a rather pathetic plea for respect last night from those he betrayed.
Something he attempted with this following much too revealing post.
Self-serving nonsense, of course. Martin Truitt, who really is a Republican and has in the past opposed such tax hikes in the town where he lives, now wants you to believe that he somehow orchestrated this election and set things up where City Hall will actually fire what little remains of the Sierra Madre Police Department. A financially necessary deed that will be initiated by Sierra Madre's new Treasurer, Michael Amerio.
Which is basically true, and is pretty much how things will go. What little remains of the absurdly expensive SMPD needs to be put out of its misery, and certainly this City Council isn't about to place their fannies on that political third rail. It will be Michael Amerio that will bring this elephant out into the open, and everything else will then fall into place.
Michael Amerio, by the way, turned out to be the biggest vote getter of all last night. Pulling down 4oo more votes than John Harabedian.
What makes the majority of Sierra Madre's voters the suckers they obviously are, however, is upon being informed during this election by the "Yes" campaign, which was run by the dude who refers to himself above as "The Dark Lord," that their votes for Measure UUT would save the Sierra Madre Police Department from being replaced by the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, they actually believed it.
It was, of course, the big lie of this election. And it worked. Measure UUT won by a landslide.
However, the SMPD is, for all intents and purposes, gone. The "Yes" voting suckers are now stuck with a 10% UUT that won't sunset, and will have rescued absolutely nothing. That money will instead go to help pay for Sierra Madre's millions of dollars in still largely unfunded employee pension debt. Something that benefits no taxpayer.
How does it feel to wake up in the morning and realize you've been this badly used?
Barry Gold e-mail
Now that the election is over it is hard to believe how much has happened in just two short months since I first announced my candidacy in mid February on the Tattler. Literally thousands of flyers have been handed out door-to-door. Hundreds of phone calls have been made. I have appeared at civic clubs, been interviewed by local papers, and spoken at every Planning Commission and City Council meeting on subjects from preserving Sierra Madre, contracting with the sheriff, and water conservation.
Trying to describe how wonderful it has been to work so hard to reach a common goal shared by so many others who have also worked tirelessly to get me elected is just not possible.
To explain how saddened I am that I have not been able to achieve the goal of getting elected is also not possible. I cannot tell you how disappointed I feel for all of us who have tried so hard to make a difference.
Still, I have always been one who looks for the positive. In this case I am so grateful for making so many new friends who have supported me, encouraged me, advised me, and stood by me during this incredible experience.
With each new day comes new possibilities. Tomorrow is a new day, so I will see what possibilities come tomorrow.
In the mean time look for me at city council and planning commission meetings. I will be at the Planning Commission meeting Thursday April 21 to speak about protecting our open spaces.
So the beat goes on and so do we. I thank you all with all my heart and soul.
Anti-Mansionization Candidates Win In Arcadia
For the rest of this informative Star News article, plus news about the demise of Measure A, click here andhere.
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