Dear Editor,
It is a real shame that you cannot trust our County Board of Supervisors to properly manage Measure A funds should the measure pass in June. They already manage a significant portion of our sales and property taxes, as do our city council and our state representatives. Our republican form of government gives our elected representatives the power to prioritize the spending of funds for the needs of the citizens. If we don’t like the job they do, we simply don’t vote to retain them as our representatives.
You criticize Supervisor Don Gage for supporting the increased tax. He sees the desperate need for county social services. He also sees need for transportation improvements, should there be sufficient funds to support those. He has shown great capability to deliver projects that benefit South County. There are no guarantees that BART will be funded, or that any transportation projects will be funded at all, yet you imply some sort of backroom “deal” that simply doesn’t exist. I find it comforting that Don, our most fiscally conservative supervisor, does support the measure, it adds to my confidence that the funds will be spent to properly meet the priorities of the citizens. I trust Don.
We all use some county services – like county roadways and hospital emergency rooms. But there are many other programs the county provides that most of us are fortunate enough to never need, like homeless shelters and services for abused children.
When the economy turns down, more and more families must turn to the county. But over the past four years, the County has made over $640 million in cuts to these basic social services for the elderly, the young, and the disabled. Services are being cut just when need is greatest. The most vulnerable in our community are paying the price many times over.
The entire Morgan Hill City Council has endorsed Measure A. Dozens of local nonprofits and social service providers are joining with business, labor, faith, and civic organizations in urging a ‘yes’ vote on Measure A this June. Measure A will bring desperately needed local funding that can’t be taken away by the state and will be used to address our most pressing needs here in Santa Clara County. Please vote yes on Measure A.
Steve Tate, Morgan Hill
