WELCOME TO THE SABATINO REPORT

September 27, 2006

THINK ABOUT IT

WHY WOULD WE TRUST THE SAME DEVELOPERS WHO TOOK MILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS AND GAVE YOU THE SCANDALS OF VILLAGE ONE, THE LANDFILL, HIGH WATER RATES, HIGH GARBAGE RATES AND NOW WILL TAKE BILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS IF THE MEASURE K TRANSPORTATION TAX PASSES

TRANSPORTATION TAX OF 2002

In 2002 the Mayors of the nine cities, members of the Board of Supervisors, city and county staff, and even the publisher of the Bee, worked on a transportation ballot measure that has been completely ignored.

We need to fix transportation but not with Measure K.  Demand that the Bee explain the difference between the 2002 tax proposal and what they want you to vote on in November.

Why would we trust the same people who gave you the scandals of Village 1, $100 million in uncollected taxpayer money that could have fixed Floyd Ave.

The landfill spent $14 million on property appraised at $10.75 million and can not be sold for $7million today.

The water rates, are so confusing they are difficult to understand and evaluate.  We will have to wait until the city understands them.

The garbage rates, by overcharging garbage rate payers $19 million to buy the landfill.  They don’t explain where the $5 million difference went..

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Spending over a half-million dollars of your tax dollars to prosecute Mayor Carmen Sabatino and according to Mike Zagaris, make him ‘political road-kill”?

Why would we trust them with billions of dollars when they have not paid their fair share for the infrastructure they now want to improve?  The homeowners of Village 1 do not and will not have the infrastructure they paid for.

THINK ABOUT IT…THEY WANT THE MONEY TO ACCOMODATE MORE HOUSES. 

SABATINO REPORT ON BEE ARTICLE

First shots fired in bid to increase sales tax            Modesto Bee 9/3/2006

By MICHAEL G. MOONEY

Craig Lewis and his committee say they will spend over a half-million dollars of their money to “educate” you to vote for the one-half per cent sales tax.  They want you to believe they are willing to spend their own money to pass this tax because they are good-hearted community leaders!  They really want to use tax dollars to increase the profit on their developments.

Mickey Peabody who was the administrative assistant to Supervisor Pat Paul has been assigned the most unfortunate quote, “money raised through the tax will be under the scrutiny and direction of a special Citizens’ committee---not controlled by politicians.” Politician Peabody knows better!  The citizens committee now controls the politicians.  That is why nobody trusts government.  They can spend a half-million dollars to elect, unseat, or destroy public officials.  The Mayor’s of Oakdale and Turlock chose not to run.  Can anyone blame them?

PERSPECTIVES TO THINK ABOUT

As Mayor of Modesto I brought the nine cities of Stanislaus County together to propose a transportation tax.  Most of our workshops were held in the Modesto Bee conference room.  Supervisor Ray Simon, CEO Reagan Wilson, and County Counsel Krausnick among others scuttled that ballot measure before it got to the ballot. Why?

Craig Lewis came to my office with the committee and said he could not support the transportation tax as long as Gary Dixon remained as CEO of the Stanislaus Council of Governments.  Lewis wanted Dixon fired as a condition of his support. 

When Ray Simon showed up for a STANCOG meeting, Gary Dixon greeted him by saying “This is your first visit.”  Simon replied, “And it will be my last.”  What has led to Simon’s conversion to support a tax? Could it have anything to do with his continued desire to control taxpayer money?