Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the editor. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Mendocino Voice. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to info@mendovoice.com.
Dear Editor:
Mendocino College’s Measure A on the June 2 ballot is a $95 million bond that, with interest, will cost taxpayers $210 million. According to Measure A’s best estimate, property owners will be paying off this bond for the next 35 years, until fiscal 2060-2061.
A “YES on A” flier in the mail says “Join local nurses and firefighters” to “expand job training programs” and provide “affordable education.”
The full text of Measure A is in the voter pamphlet. It lists more than 100 projects the bond money can be used for, none of which are job training programs or affordable education.
Some of the projects Measure A money can be spent on include: Dining rooms, bookstores, theaters, and galleries. Athletic facilities, wellness facilities, and performing arts facilities. Construction of a data center. Land acquisition and building demolition. The corporation building and yard. Roads, bus stops, and parking lots. Fields, hard courts, turf, irrigation, and a sculpture garden. Vehicles, furniture, elevators, generators — and much more. The funds will also go to pay assessment reviews, planning costs, staff training, and to the district for employee salaries.
It is regrettable that the promotional advertising for Measure A does not even hint at the vast array of projects, equipment, payroll, and district overhead that the money will be used for, projects that have little or nothing to do with nursing or firefighting or the cost of education.
B.B. Kamoroff
Willits
When you receive your ballot in the mail, doesn’t it seem like the people doing the writing for the new bond measures or tax hikes are illusionists? They are like carnival performers using a sleight-of-hand or a magician using a bait-and-switch strategy. It’s how we ended up with “High-Speed Rail to Nowhere.”
I think that is the point being made in the above letter. Glad someone is saying it out loud. I usually vote no on any new taxes but a lot of people sure get fooled in every election cycle.
Mendocino County
Median property value 2026: $616K
$24 per $100K in value Measure A
=$148ish per year = $12.32 per month
Community College is affordable education by definition in CA. It is far more affordable than anything out of state or against 4 year universities. The question is do you want your local college to have better student resources and buildings that don’t leak? To all the parents in Mendocino who have children, this will affect you more than you realize. Is $12 dollars a month worth the investment for a modern college?
No, it isn’t. Only a fool would pay operating expenses out of bonds, which is like paying staff salaries on a credit card only to end up paying more than twice as much as you originally paid by the time you pay it off. An informed voter will vote no on Measure A.
Measure J – Passed May 2020
“The measure would support the efforts of the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority, which is managed jointly by the city of Ukiah and the Ukiah Valley Fire Protection District. This includes managing, equipping, maintaining and operating all-risk fire, emergency medical and rescue services to the city and neighboring unincorporated areas that are part of the fire district. ”
Using your reasoning, you would never vote for any bonds ever brought forward to the public. It’s fair enough to say the public is tapped out given the hyper inflation we are all experiencing.
It is absolutely not worth it. That college is already two or three times too big for the community. For years I have attended the college, there is waste in every direction. I already pay over $9,000 per year in property tax. That is too much. Find another way to pay for it.
Sounds like you bought a hummer and are sticker shocked by the gas prices.
No, I bought the house in 2004, it burned up in 2017, I built it back and they doubled the taxes. With all of the bonds added, it is moving up and up. Do the math, not the meth.
I bet you are one of the many folks that added 500 plus sqft to their original footprint …
The county and city keep layering on additional taxes through school bond measures on property tax bills and sales tax measures for roads, safety, libraries, and mental health. These add up. Budget more wisely. We pay enough already.
Fair enough… Get the grant writers moving for grant money…
Math it: Obviously you are an advocate for additional property taxes. You must be a renter.
I’m an advocate for higher education. I think the better education right now is the one we are all living through. #Taxabillionaire
Yep. You could benefit from more education. Your comment: “I think the better education right now is the one we are all living through,” makes no sense.
May I kindly suggest the following: Basic Skills/Developmental Writing Course.
They have a Macro Economics course starting June 8th at Mendo community college to remind you how tariffs work.
Good luck my smug cheeky fellow.
Also you might consider taking a Reading Comprehension course. Nowhere in the written text of Mendocino College’s Measure A or the above letter is there any mention of tariffs.
Perhaps you are experiencing some kind of difficulty with left-brain concepts interfering with reading the daily news, and if so, I hope you get the help you need.
Leftists always give away their liberal political bias when they resort to making personal attacks. Happens every time.
I don’t see any mention on the ballot or elsewhere about a 2/3 vote requirement. Albion-Little River Fire District is planning something similar in November. It must get on the ballot as an initiative, requiring signatures, not a vote by the district board.
So fragile and insecure almost like a child seeking attention. Funding higher education was a left minded conspiracy. You got me. 🤗
“He’s one disturbed little boy.”
Eric Cartman quote
A simple way to learn more about Measure A is to go to http://www.mendocino.edu/measurea . Lots of basic information on the whats, whys, and hows.
Here’s a good one:
Q: What will happen if Measure A is not enacted?
In short, nursing students would remain in portables from 1973 with no modern labs and infrastructure. The status quo makes it harder to enable nursing students to work and train with local medical providers (hospitals, doctors, nurses, EMTs).
Personally, I want a well-trained local nurse who will be able to help me and my family when in need.