Earlier this year, all of us on the City Council debated on how we would balance our City budget. While there may be some disagreements on what and how we balanced the budget, all of us were in agreement that we need to live within our means. We cannot print money like the Federal government, and we cannot put off dealing with our finances as our state. At the local level, we can only spend what we have.

While we have balanced our budget, one fear remains as we enter our fourth month without a state-budget. Will the state take away more money from our City to balance the state budget?

On November 2, we have a chance to protect local funds that were approved by voters for use by local government. Proposition 22 was put on the November ballot by the California League of Cities. The City Council is an active supporter of Proposition 22 and supports this measure. To balance last year’s budget, the State took nearly $6 million in local revenue to balance the state-budget. We cannot afford to keep balancing the state budget by reducing local services.

By voting Yes on Proposition 22, we can stop state lawmakers in Sacramento from raiding funds that don’t belong to them. Prop. 22 will…

* STOP the State from taking or borrowing local tax dollars dedicated to cities and counties to fund vital local services.

* STOP the State from taking or diverting gas taxes we pay at the pump which voters have dedicated for transportation purposes.

Prop. 22 is a straightforward measure that simply ensures that our existing local tax dollars and existing gas taxes cannot be taken away by the state politicians again. It requires State Legislators to stop raiding funds that don’t belong to them. And most important during these tough economic times, Prop 22 will not increase taxes

I need your help in keeping local revenues at the local level. Please join me on November 2 and vote Yes on Proposition 22.

— Jeff Gee, Redwood City Councilperson