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| David Lim (current San Mateo Mayor) and Robert Ross (current San Mateo Deputy Mayor) |
...but tomorrow is Election Day nonetheless, and registered voters in the city of San Mateo will have the opportunity to cast ballots on a local measure, and for local school board members and city council members.
Personally, the ballot measure that will be on tomorrow's ballot, namely, Measure P, has caught my attention due to the sheer volume of "No on Measure P" signs I see on Aragon Blvd on the way to and from school everyday; submitted by the San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of Trustees, the measure would impose a property tax of approximately $19 per $100,000 in assessed value on homeowners. The wording of the question that I believe will show up on the ballot is:
"To improve local schools and protect high quality math, science, reading and writing instruction with funding that cannot be taken by the State, shall San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District upgrade classrooms, science labs, and libraries, relieve school overcrowding, update classroom technology for higher 21st-century academic standards, and repair, construct, or acquire equipment, classrooms, sites and facilities by issuing $130,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, with citizen oversight, no money for administrators, and all funds staying local?"One of the arguments I have heard against Measure P is that it demonstrates partiality towards Foster City in disproportionately distributing funds to Foster City schools over San Mateo schools. The ballot will need 55% approval to pass.
Voters will have the opportunity to elect two individuals to the Governing Board of the San Mateo County Community College District, and three individuals to the San Mateo City Council tomorrow as well. (Upon doing a little research, I found that the five-member city council serves as our local legislative body, with each member serving a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms; a mayor is selected from within the council each December for a one-year term.)
Although I know that local politics may not be the topic most discussed in class, do you have any opinion on the races or measure, or is there any candidate or argument that has caught your attention? (I believe there are also some other items on the ballot for residents of Hillsborough or Foster City - I apologize for not mentioning them; would anyone care to provide more information on them in the comments?)
More information on local races, candidates, or measures in San Mateo County can be found on Smart Voter: http://www.smartvoter.org/2013/11/05/ca/sm/.
3 comments:
I think Elkana brings up a great topic: local ballot issues. Americans tend to emphasize the national elections and the presidential elections in a hapless effort to turn their community (not nation) around. In reality, it is the local legislatures and politicians that play a far more direct, tangible role in shaping community. As Elkana mentions, measure P, if passed, would result in an increased property tax. That is a clear example of how local initiatives directly impact the citizen. A position that even less individuals take notice of is the BART Board of Directors seat. While essentially no one knows who their local BART board member is (including myself), that elected official could mean the difference between BART to Millbrae or no BART to Millbrae (rewind a couple years back).
Like Elkana mentioned, critics of Measure P argue that it favors Foster City schools in the district. I think that it is unfair to pass a measure that will really only benefit a few schools because despite having a strong school system, there is always room for improvement, in both the San Mateo and Foster City Schools. I think that these improvements will benefit all the schools in the district, so it is only fair to provide all these benefits to the schools.
When first reading the description, I was thinking "yeah! for the kids!" However, do I think that this bill is necessary? No, I do not. The county of San Mateo is very affluent compared to the others in California and in other states, and the schools within this county are already in great condition. Furthermore, the favoring of one city also makes me disapprove of this measure. If this bill was to disproportionately distribute funds, it should focus on schools that need it most.
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