Your Vote Counts

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Santa Barbara County voters are being sold an initiative, Measure P, that claims to do one thing but really does something else. How many times have we seen this kind of bait-and-switch before, where proponents make a lot of promises but the fine print of the initiative tells a different story? In Measure P’s case, the story does not have a happy ending: more than 1,000 jobs destroyed, $300 million in economic activity evaporated, millions in lost tax revenue for vital public services, and a wave of post-election lawsuits that could pull county government into bankruptcy. Fortunately, the voters aren’t as gullible and uninformed as Measure P proponents seem to hope. We’re already protected by the most stringent environmental regulations in the nation. All Measure P will do is make our county a poorer place.

I don’t know about you, but I for one am tired of the South County incorporated voters dictating the outcome of measures on our ballots. County-Clerk Recorder Joseph E. Holland noted that elections can be won by a small number of voters if few show up to vote. Let’s prove him wrong. We have the numbers in the North County to change the outcome of this important Measure P, which by the way effects the North County. All we need is for residents to register to vote and then most importantly exercise their privilege and send in their ballot or go to their polling location on November 4. It’s not too late! The last day to register is October 20, 2014.

Your vote can determine the outcome. Vote “no” on Measure P.