I am encouraging Signal Hill residents to vote no on measure U.
Measure U will throw a wrench into the city’s operations and make it very difficult for our city to provide you with the same level of civic services. The Costco would never have been built if Measure U was in effect. Costco was originally looking elsewhere, and Signal Hill was able to woo Costco because our city is business-friendly. As a result, our city’s revenues went up, which increases our quality of life, and property values went up as a result of commercial development.
In contrast, if Measure U was in effect, Costco would have had to pay for a city-wide election, acquire a two-thirds vote from the voters, and know all of the land clean-up costs upfront. In other words, commercial developments like Costco would never happen with Measure U in place.
I have never seen a more business-unfriendly measure, and that is just the tip of the iceberg with Measure U. There is also the measure’s financial impact of reducing our bond limits from 40 years to 20 years. In addition, the measure makes it impossible for the City to create an accurate budget, since every new fee or fee adjustment needs to be voted on. How can the city spend its money responsibly if it doesn’t know what its income will be? The measure sunsets all existing fees in 10 years, and they must be voted on again in order to be in effect. This is just baffling.
The list goes on and on in terms of throwing a wrench into the city’s operations. This measure is a city-killer and will result in years of legal battles.
The City of Signal Hill would love to tell you to vote no on measure U, but it is illegal for the City to take a side on the issue. Whenever you see a sign that says to vote for Measure U, use that as a reminder to tell 10 people they need to get out and vote no on Measure U. Our city is not able to protect itself from this measure. She needs your help.
Matthew Simmons
Signal Hill
