Portola Valley: Opposition nearly defeats taxes Portola Valley: Opposition nearly defeats taxes (November 16, 2005)

** Town Center project is the group's target.

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

They ran an energetic two-month campaign, but a contingent of Portola Valley residents could not muster the votes needed to overturn the town's tradition of taxing itself through utility bills to supplement the general fund and buy open space.

The margin of victory, however, was considerably smaller than in the past.

Voters renewed Measure H in the November 8 election by a vote of 972 to 899, a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent. Revenues from the 5.5 percent tax on electricity, gas, telephone and water bills go into the town's general fund.

Voters approved a companion Measure I, to renew the town's 2 percent utility tax to purchase open space, but this time it garnered a 57 percent majority, with 43 percent opposed.

In three previous elections -- in 1993, 1997 and 2001 -- majorities of over 70 percent approved these taxes.
Real target

The real target of the No on Measure H people was not so much the tax as the council's plans to build a new $20 million Town Center complex.

The opponents called on residents to vote no as a way to express opposition to those plans and to the fact that the council did not intend to submit the plans to a vote of the people.

Citing the 48 percent vote against Measure H, resident Bill Henderson of "Taxpayers' Committee Against Measure H And Utility Taxes" said the vote verified the group's point that there are "a lot of dissatisfied people."

"We are not disbanding," he said. "We need another voice in the valley and we hope to provide that voice in terms of major issues that have been left unnoticed and untouched."
Communication challenge

The day after the election, the Town Council met and discussed challenges the town faces in improving communications.

Council members maintain that a rebuilt Town Center is necessary because of serious seismic and liability problems with buildings now on the site. The issues are complex and can be tough to communicate to residents who may not have the time or patience to listen, council supporters say.

Many steps have been taken over the past two years to involve the public, including workshops, committee meetings, mailings, booths at community events, and scores of public hearings.

There is a "stubborn pattern" of people who don't attend those informational events, while those who do are drawn from about 200 regulars, said Councilman George Comstock.

"It's really important that we find a way to let those others know what's going on," he said.

The town's semi-annual newsletter isn't working, but maybe a monthly 1-page bulletin mailed to every household and focused on one topic would, he said.

"We should do our best to continue to bring (opponents) into the fold so that they could express their views," said Mayor Ed Davis.

Councilman Ted Driscoll sounded a sour note: "It's hard to find a consensus when they already think that what we're doing is wrong."
Opponents' plans

A statement by the "No" campaign and signed by Mr. Henderson and residents Ed Wells and Charles Engles outlines a series of proposals they say they intend to pursue. They say they will "work very constructively" with the council on such proposals as:

** Shrink the Town Center project to a library and a small administration building and fund it with a bond measure.

** Replace the 2 percent utility tax for open space purchases with a 20-year parcel tax that would be deductible from income taxes.

** Have the council appoint a subcommittee to work with the opposition group to plan ballot measures for the June 2006 election.

Finding candidates for the council, the Planning Commission and the Architecture & Site Control Commission are also priorities, said Mr. Henderson. "We have plans to be an alternate source of information with well-constructed views and solutions," he said.

Asked for a comment about the "no" campaign's proposals, Gary Nielsen, who headed the "Yes on H and I" campaign, replied: "That's a good deal more positive than anything in their campaign. I think those are reasonable things to discuss. We'll see how it works out."

Three views of tax election

After voters in Portola Valley nearly defeated proposals to renew two utility taxes -- Measures H and I -- the Almanac talked with several of those voters.

Resident Pierre Fischer, who has voted for utility user taxes in the past, voted against them this time. Though he said he disliked the aggressive tone of the "No on H" campaign, the thin margin by which the tax passed was "a signal" to the council, he said.

Mr. Fischer's vote was a protest of the council's handling of the Town Center project, he said. To allay residents' fears, which the "No" group played on, the council should have prepared and widely distributed a roadmap with project financing and design options, he said.

Resident Bernie Bayuk voted for Measure H despite public disagreements with the direction of the Town Center project. He said he was invited to join the "No" campaign, but declined after attending a couple of meetings because he said he disagreed with the idea of a protest vote.

"I'm opposed to pure obstructionism," he said. "The train has left the station, we lost the war, and now we have to look ahead and do the best construction job."

Resident Carole Rowe told the Almanac she would vote against Measure H and that she is uncertain about whether to trust the council. "I don't really know where they're coming from," she said. "I just don't like the (Town Center) project. It's too big."

-- David Boyce

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