South San Francisco, CA October 9, 2022 by Cynthia Marcopulos, SSF Resident
South San Francisco has three (3) ballot measures for this November’s election. With respect, I am urging you to vote as follows:
NO on Measure AA – affordable housing
It has no funding and it is giving our City Council the right to approve any and all “affordable” housing anywhere in the city without voter approval for the next eight years. The law says the voters must vote on any affordable housing measure, but our City Council wants to bypass this regulation. Look at what our city has become – massive developments in every neighborhood with no regard to our quality of life, the environment, the worst drought in 1,200 years, no updated infrastructure to accommodate all this building – and the more companies they entice to come to SSF, the more housing we have to build – even though these workers don’t live in SSF.
VOTE YES ON Measure DD – Free childcare
Our city is beholden to the corporations and the biotechs. It seems our city officials put the wants and needs of these corporations above and beyond the needs of our residents. Our city officials invite and entice more and more companies to move here – when they do that, we have to provide more and more housing albeit these workers do not and will not live in South City. This is one way to take back our city – by taxing the corporations and the biotech to pay for free childcare. We will be a less desirable city for them to move to. **This will NOT affect the small businesses, or mom & pop stores.*** A company has to occupy 25,000 square feet of property and those corporations and biotech will see this on THEIR property tax bills, NOT the local homeowner.
VOTE NO ON Measure T – School bond
Another school bond – this bond for billions of taxpayer dollars is for the same things that we voted for and approved 10 years ago, and that money was mismanaged – even a lawsuit is pending because the SSF School Board had recklessly used the funds for other things than what they were earmarked for. It is a huge bond request and the debt is never ending, no matter how many times they come back. There is no guarantee they will use the money as promised to fix schools. With the current bonds the community, taxpayers will shell out over 1 billion dollars over 30 years if approved.
Our school district really needs Measure T – everything in our schools need updating. We have a new school board, and anything 10 years ago shouldn’t guide our decision making now. My son attended SSF High School in the 1990’s, and not much has changed in that building or in Westborough Jr High. SSF school district relies on property taxes, and many residents of SSF pay property taxes still very low from Prop 13 – umpteen years ago. Tied in this this issue of the school facilites, is the low cost housing situation. They go together. People who work in our schools and teach in our schools are driving long distances to where they live. That’s not the pressure that we want on our schools staff and teachers.
Dolores,
how many more millions before they get it right?
measure C wasn’t enough neither was J both outstanding for another 30+ yrs.
NO on Tax T
YES on District Accountability & Responsibility
Most definitely we SHOULD BE guided by anything AND everything from the past, regardless of how many years have past in just about every situation or circumstance.
When inquiring on reason for sudden charging at SSFHS sports games (other than Bell game); there were ridiculous and contradictory reasons provided:
Principal – toilet paper for portable potty & light bulbs for field
Vice Principal – maintenance of field (never witnessed turf maintenance)
ASB teacher – sport balls.
When inquiring about funds collected from rental of fields to private leagues, received no response on their use.
There are many examples of where priorities are not with students, their education and future, knowing that students have only 1 chance during their elementary, middle school & high school years.
Agree schools need regular maintenance; however why haven’t they been updated with taxes collected and available funds since way before 1990’s?
There are other workers besides teachers driving long distances – agree it is extremely difficult for not only the worker, but family members as well, besides adding to traffic congestion and against climate change measures. It would be prudent for local government & District to bear responsibility in providing housing that is affordable through policies & developer approvals.There were MANY missed opportunities of requiring developers in providing housing that matches local wages (non-biotech) from the Cadence complexes. No excuses for now trying to catch up.
When inquiring on reason classrooms don’t have AC as Admin offices do, informed it’s not a State law. Shocking! No excuses for not following human needs, regardless of inhumane State law.
During WASC presentations by District, parents were informed that majority of funds are for Admin payroll and very little left for students. How and whom set Admin pay and increases?
It is difficult to continue to accept District to rely on single family home property taxes when priorities are not always in EVERY student’s best interest.
SSF has been touted as “biotech capital of the world”, thus fair and equitable taxes should be paid by biotech and disbursed to our local schools so as to be in sync, most importantly by also providing a “world class” education to EVERY child.
Too much unconditional housing and too much taxing. Vote NO !
Great recommendations 😉
Sounds like you’ve done your homework Ms. Marcopulos. I’m convinced.