New approach for second sales tax campaign

The 2013 campaign to convince voters to approve Measure X – Modesto’s 1 percent general sales tax increase – was a massive undertaking.

The campaign raised about $180,000, with more than $100,000 from the Modesto Police Officers Association and nearly $54,000 from the Modesto City Firefighters Association. The money paid for high-powered consultants from outside of the area, campaign workers and other efforts. But the campaign fell short. As a general tax, Measure X needed a simple majority to pass but received 49 percent of the vote.

Now voters will decide in November whether they want to pay more in taxes with Measure G, Modesto’s one-half percent general sales tax increase. But this campaign will be low-key.

The Measure X campaign “was totally out of character for a community of our size,” said Nick Bavaro, who served on the Measure X committee and will lead the Measure G campaign. Mayor Garrad Marsh asked Bavaro to head the campaign.

Marsh has said that Measure X was an overreach. The tax would have brought in $26 million annually over its six-year life. Some criticized the city’s spending plan for the tax as confusing. The city intended to spend 50 percent on public safety, 25 percent on streets, 15 percent on parks and economic development, and put 10 percent in reserves.

Measure G is expected to bring in $14 million annually over its eight-year life if it passes. The city intends to spend the money on its Safer Neighborhoods Initiative, which calls for spending nearly all of the money on public safety but also on other measures to strengthen neighborhoods, such as dealing with nuisance properties. The measure would increase Modesto’s sales tax from 7.625 percent to 8.125 percent.

Marsh said he has asked other community leaders such as former Councilman Brad Hawn, Marvin Jacobo of City Ministry Network, and businessman and former La Loma Neighborhood Association board member Doug Highiet to take part in the campaign.

“I’m going to participate in the campaign and support it,” Highiet said. “I really believe in the need for G. I think it’s a really inexpensive way to achieving additional support for neighborhood needs, especially with police services.”

Hawn and Jacobo could not be reached for comment.

Bavaro, of Bavaro Employee Benefits & Insurance Services, said he expects the campaign will raise about $15,000 for signs and mailers. He and Marsh said the campaign will focus on having Measure G supporters speak to civic groups and knocking on doors in neighborhoods.

“This is grass-roots,” Bavaro said. “We are not going to have the consultants and high-powered consultants. We are not going to have people make large contributions. The goal is neighbor-to-neighbor types of conversations to get them to the polls. That’s how the campaign is going to be designed.”

Marsh said the Modesto Police Officers Association and the Modesto City Firefighters Association won’t take part in the campaign, though he said he hopes they help raise money.

The associations were criticized for their heavy involvement in the Measure X campaign. Critics claimed firefighters and police officers supported the tax to protect their jobs. But public safety officials in the campaign said officers and firefighters campaigned for the tax because they wanted a safer Modesto and were frustrated by years of public safety budget cuts.

MPOA President Tony Arguelles said his association supports the Safer Neighborhoods Initiative and the city’s decision to put Measure G on the ballot but does not plan to campaign for it.

“We believe it’s in the best interests of the MPOA, the city and the voters to let the measure pass or fail on its own merits,” Arguelles said.

MCFFA President Jair Juarez did not return an email seeking comment.

Bavaro said he wants to keep politics out of the campaign and focus on telling Modesto’s story and the need to hire more police officers and firefighters. Modesto officials have said that while the city’s revenues are increasing, they have not recovered to prerecession levels and the city does not have the money to restore public safety services.

For instance, the Police Department is allocated 219 officers in the city’s current budget, but the city budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year shows the department was allocated 270 officers.

Measure G’s opponents appear to be using some of the same arguments used against Measure X: The city has not done enough to get its fiscal house in order or address rising pension costs and because Measure G is a general tax, it can be used for any general government purpose. And as a general tax, there is no guarantee the current or future council would not change the measure’s spending priorities.

“Until City Hall gets current spending under control, all we can do is vote no to send them a clear message. Instead, let’s work together on how we can make our neighborhoods safer without bankrupting us. Vote no on this blank check,” reads the ballot argument against Measure G.

Those who signed the argument include former council members Janice Keating and Tim Fisher, and Stanislaus Taxpayers Association President Dave Thomas.

Measure G supporters say the city has made big strides in getting its fiscal house in order and in controlling its pension costs. And Bavaro said council members would face a steep political price if they changed how Measure G is spent: being recalled from office by voters.

This story was originally published August 29, 2015 at 6:31 PM with the headline "New approach for second sales tax campaign."