Chamber Ballot Recommendations: Propositions & Measures

The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce released its positions on the ballot measures for the upcoming November election. These positions were developed after careful review by the Chamber’s Advocacy Committee, and are based on potential impact on member businesses and business climate as well as the overall impact on our community.

Based on those considerations, the Chamber has taken the following positions:

VOTE YES

Support State Proposition 30: This proposition would help balance the State budget and ensure funds for both K-12 and post secondary education with a quarter-percent sales tax increase and by increasing income taxes for those earning over $250,000. Without passage of this Proposition, local schools would have to cut three weeks of education time.

Support Measure R: This is one of three recommendations from the Charter Review Committee. It would improve our Binding Arbitration system by better defining the City’s ability to pay. This measure is supported by all sides as a step in improving Arbitration for both the City and employee unions.

Support Measure S: This measure would permit the City Council to develop ordinances to implement a Design Build approach to certain city public works projects. As yet, there are no specific details as to how this would be implemented. But if done correctly, it would save taxpayers money. Our support ensures a seat at the table during the critical conversations about how the ordinance will be actually written.

VOTE NO

Oppose Measure Q: This measure would create District Elections in Santa Rosa. Advocacy Council believes that this would actually disenfranchise voters who could vote only once every four years for one Council Member versus the current opportunity to vote for three or four every two years. Further, the Districts that would be created would each be larger than the Town of Windsor which hardly creates any real neighborhood representation.