Dont forget to Vote!

Today is Election Day in Oakland.  There are 3 measures on the mail in ballot and ballots must be received (a postmark is NOT good enough) by 8pm tonight.  If you haven’t mailed in your ballot and want to vote you need to take your ballot to the Registrar of Voters office at 1225 Fallon Street (12^th and Oak) Room G-1 in Oakland by 8 pm tonight.

The Chamber supports both Measure I and Measure J.  Measure I, also known as the Parcel Tax, would raise $11 million a year for 5 years by taxing home owners $80/year and apartment units $54.66/year while commercial properties would face a tax determined by a formula measuring their square footage and linear footage on the roadway.  While there are no guarantees on how the money raised would be spent, the Chamber supports this temporary tax while urging the Council to spend the revenues on an understaffed police force.

 Measure J extends the deadline for the City to fully fund the Police and Fire Retirement (PFRS) plan.  Even with voter approval, extending the deadline will require approval by the City Council, the PFRS Board and an actuary. This measure allows the City to meet its financial duties responsibly without creating an immediate payment requirement that would stretch an already tight city budget.