HOPLAND, 11/8/21 — Measure L, a special tax on property owners in the Hopland Fire Protection District, has just over 60% support from voters, but it needs two-thirds to pass. Fire Chief Mitch Franklin said the average homeowner in the district currently pays $110 per year in property taxes to fund fire, medical and emergency services — but increasing that to $170 would generate an estimated $715,000 per year to spend on staffing.
“Currently we have one person on 24/7 and if this measure passes we’ll be able to increase that to a minimum of two people per 24-hour shift,” Franklin said by phone Monday afternoon.
There have been 343 votes counted so far, according to Mendocino County records, but Registrar Katrina Bartolomie said today that 83 ballots remained to be counted. The county will also continue to accept additional ballots that were sent by mail until tomorrow. Since just over 19% of the ballots have not yet been tallied, it’s possible that Measure L could still get the additional 6% of voter support required to pass. So far, vote-by-mail ballots have favored Measure L by roughly a 60-40 split, and if that trend continues we may see a final outcome around 72 percent in favor.
“I honestly felt it was going to pass right away and then I was a little shocked with the numbers,” Franklin remarked. “Fingers crossed, we’re still really hopeful.”
If there was any organized opposition to Measure L, they didn’t bother to include an opposition argument printed in the sample ballot published by the county. More information about the fate of Measure L should be available later this week. You can watch the results get updated in real time here.
Whenever they say they are still counting “mail-in ballots”… you know what that means! Another corrupt election.
Looks like the last Presidential election all over again. I mean postmarked after the Nov.2 date should not be accepted for count. I believe this is all spelled out in the law books so what gives?
That’s what the Jan.6th protest was about, not anything else. What is so hard to see here?
Maybe because it isn’t happening? I read the article and I didn’t see anything about counting late votes.
January 6 was about a bunch of hoodwinked morons that believed a big lie. There were no late votes counted then either. You are spreading more trumpist bullshit.
It has been said that the only way to topple a representative democracy is to decapitate it by undermining people’s faith in their government. By convincing them that their elected government is illegitimate an opening is created for a self-proclaimed savior to step in and “make things right”. This is the populist wedge strategy that is in play, and you are falling for it.
Hopland Fire District web site doesn’t have a map of the district. Measure L doesn’t have a map of the district. Do the locals just know by word of mouth who this affects?
Also, wtf on charging more for a hoop house than a primary residence? On face value this looks like a sneaky way to discourage growers. I’m not going to takes sides on that idea, but it does seem disingenuous to disguise that agenda as a ‘fire district tax’.