How to be an informed Stanislaus voter | Letters to the editor: Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022
How to be informed voter
As a nonpartisan political organization, the League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation in government and works to increase understanding of major public policy issues. To that end, LWV California has developed pro-and-con analyses for the seven state propositions. This document can be found on our website, lwvstanislaus.org.
Additionally, we have worked hard to develop another useful voting tool — votersedge.org/ca. Local candidates have been invited to submit statements and additional information that constituents will find useful in making informed decisions. We have a 58% participation rate to date. If you don’t see your candidates on Voter’s Edge, reach out and ask them to participate.
Your vote is your power. Make sure your voice is heard — vote in the Nov. 8 general election and cast your ballot today.
Laurie Carley, president, League of Women Voters Stanislaus County-Modesto
Modesto’s chance to improve
No one likes paying higher taxes, me included. But I believe Modesto’s elected leaders when they tell us that our city must have more revenue or it is facing a steep decline. That’s why a majority of business owners and concerned citizens have reached the same conclusion — that we must endure a slightly higher sales tax if we want to give our city a chance to improve.
Measure H will increase sales tax by 1%, or $1 for every $100 we spend. Currently, Modesto collects less sales tax than Fresno, Sacramento, Stockton and even Turlock. Even with the proposed increase, Modesto will remain below the sales tax rate of many similar-sized cites.
What we get in exchange will be better parks, more police enforcement (especially traffic), better emergency services, a stronger safety net and even enough funding to keep city trees healthy. These are the basics of keeping our city livable.
Without it, we can expect greater declines in services and a city made less livable. Please support Measure H.
Cathy DeLaMare, Modesto
Turn down Measure H
Re “No vote urged on Measure H” (Page 6A, Oct. 13): After many letters and editorials praising Measure H, I was pleased to see Zane Johnston’s article exposing the measure for what it is. The obvious truth of a sales tax, which never gets mentioned, is that as sales go up (either due to volume or increased price of goods) the amount of sales tax receipts increase as well, due to the percentage nature of this tax (regressive, as Johnston notes). Wealthy individuals champion the increased tax because it affects them less. However, the effect on low- to middle-income households is much more pronounced, especially on big-ticket items.
Secondly, the city needs to balance its budget just as we taxpayers do. They can’t continually just increase their revenue by new tax increases while paying little mind to their controllable expenses.
Lastly, the city of Modesto should market their current status as a city with lower sales tax. “Come to Modesto for your next purchase and get it for less” could be their slogan. The increased sales volume as a result of this campaign would potentially exceed the proposed draconian increase of Measure H.
Ben Sweet, Modesto
Williams a Modesto staple
In 2013, I ran for Modesto City Council to address specific needs in our community; public transportation and homelessness were two of them. The city of Modesto has made progress on both of those things, however the work still continues.
Jeremiah Williams is the best person to make sure that the work gets done and the community is involved in the decision-making process. For the last 32 years, Jeremiah has been a staple of the Modesto community. Volunteering his time at events and supporting local causes, Jeremiah has proven his dedication to Modesto. Jeremiah Williams will use his experience and knowledge to be a great council member for District 5.
Jenny Kenoyer, Modesto City Council Member, District 5
Goriel works hard
Naramsen Goriel is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He has volunteered his time and personal expense to organize hundreds of volunteers over the years to clean Modesto city parks. He understands that clean, usable parks make Modesto a first-class city and enrich the lives of our citizens.
In his campaign for City Council District 5, he has knocked on over 4,500 doors and is known to even give his personal phone number to constituents. He is accessible, smart and hard-working. We need Naramsen Goriel on the Modesto City Council.
Larry Bolton, Modesto
Down with attack ads
Please consider the misinformation in radio ads about Assembly candidate Jess Self, if you have not already cast your ballots. Her opponent’s ads blatantly lie about Jessica repeatedly. She does not oppose rescinding the gas tax. It’s not possible. It’s three separate taxes going into separate funds and the voters voted for them. An assemblyman can’t just remand it. Juan Alanis won’t be able to do anything about it even if he does win the election. Jess does not promote early release of rapists and murderers, but she did represent her clients as a public defender properly so that prisoners would not be released early due to unfit representation.
Alanis doesn’t agree to debate Jessica publicly, probably because he knows she would run circles around him with her knowledge of the law and how to be a good legislator. The fact that he promotes such vicious attack ads on his opponent shows you the type of character this man has.
Debra Stokes, Modesto
Re-elect Mayor Bublak
I am very pleased to support Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak for re-election this November. While she has many accomplishments, including balancing the budget, putting more police officers and firefighters on the street and fixing Turlock roads, what separates her from her opponent is her honesty and love for Turlock. She is a likable person and has opposed all tax increases, which many Turlock residents have a hard time paying. We need Mayor Bublak re-elected to keep Turlock moving forward.
Antonio Aguilar, Keyes
Esquer is considerate
Why did the Bee endorse Amy Bublak instead of Gil Esquer for Turlock mayor? Yes, Amy deserves credit for her years of service. But Gil deserves at least equal consideration to be our next mayor.
I met Gil several years ago when we registered voters at a table at the flea market. I was impressed by how kind, considerate, and thoughtful Gil has been in his dedication to the city. He explained to me how he had attended council meetings for years before he ran for council. Gil researches issues deeply, understands finances, and supports freedom of speech.
In The Bee’s video debate, Gil showed a stark contrast to Amy when he said, “I believe anyone who comes to a council meeting should have their five minutes and their freedom of speech.” After Amy bragged about how frugal she is, always opposing any tax increases, Gil concluded, “The biggest difference between me and my opponent is that when I started on the council, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy, and when I left, I had helped establish income for the city. We have to be able to fund the projects.”
Randy Huth, Turlock
Abram is down-to-earth
Those who are the best at anything never have to tell others they are the best at it. They just are. We often see people touting themselves as the most intelligent, kindest or most virtuous. But one should never rely on their own words to prove their strengths — they should rely on their actions. Someone who undoubtedly speaks with actions and not words is Cassandra Abram. I am honored to know her and I fully support her candidacy for Turlock City Council.
I first met her while working under her leadership at an optometry office. She quickly gained my respect through her intelligence, level-headedness, and kindness. She proved to be down-to-earth, which was refreshing and unexpected. Since then, she’s become a mom of two and she has demonstrated that she truly only wants the best for her daughters, her family, her friends, and her community. It is infrequent that I can cast my full vote of confidence for someone, but Cassandra Abram has made it incredibly easy. Voting can be overwhelming, but choosing the right person for Turlock City Council has never been easier.
Norma Madruga, Atwater