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Every resident of South Pasadena has a reason for living here. We grew up here. We came for the schools. We raised kids here and stayed. The one thing we have in common is our desire to maintain our South Pasadena as the safe, beautiful and vibrant small town it is. As the cost of living increases, pension and salaries rise, and the price of maintenance and supplies go up, we have to find new ways to keep up with these financial demands.
Of the current 9.5% sales tax, South Pasadena receives only 1%. Yes, that’s right. An increase to the maximum of 10.25% (seventy-five cents per $100) will generate $1.5 million dollars annually. Measure A ensures all of that money will be locally controlled.
Measure A will ensure our investment in our city stays in our city.
South Pasadena answers the call every time through various funding initiatives to meet increasing needs. This is the investment we all need to make, not just to maintain the services that we rely on, but to improve infrastructure and beautification of South Pasadena.
Look around us. We are surrounded by 27 other Los Angeles County cities that have passed similar sales tax measures to keep the funding locally controlled. Other cities will vote this November on sales tax measures; still others will do the same in 2020.
I’ve read the commentary from residents that a “no” vote will force our city leaders to make different choices. The choices we force upon them will be what resources to cut and what improvements won’t happen. In fact, withholding support for Measure A only results in the loss of revenue. It doesn’t lower the cost of anything.
I support Measure A because I support South Pasadena. Measure A is an investment in our city that ensures we keep it local. Isn’t that why we are here?
Saida “Saydi” Staudenmaier
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This sentence is remarkable: “South Pasadena answers the call every time through various funding initiatives to meet increasing needs.”
What are the “increasing needs,” and where can we find them? Have we doubled fire department staffing and added a second fire station, or added a sizable number of officers to the police department, or built new parks, or added new roads and bridges that add a maintenance burden the city didn’t face ten years ago?
I’d like to hear more about our “increasing needs,” and the source of those needs.