The Measure E parcel tax fight is hot - and pricey

Measure E would impose new property taxes in Oakland to fund police services, homeless shelters, and cleanup efforts. The proposed levy is $192 per year for single-family homes and $131 per apartment for multi-unit dwellings, with higher rates for commercial properties. Low-income and senior property owners would be exempt, along with schools and religious sites. The measure aims to raise about $34 million per year for nine years. Supporters link the revenue to expanded public safety staffing, a police academy, shelter beds, and vehicle replacements. Opponents argue the measure is a cash grab and raise concerns about loopholes and misinformation.

"Measure E, championed by Mayor Barbara Lee, would impose new taxes on property owners to fund key city services like police, homeless shelters, and cleanups. The levy would be: $192 a year for single family homes, $131 per apartment for multi-unit dwellings, and steeper amounts for commercial properties. Some low-income and senior property owners would be exempt, along with schools and religious sites. The goal is to raise roughly $34 million a year for nine years."

"Last spring, in the midst of a financial crisis, Oakland adopted a bare-bones two-year budget. City finance officials warned that the spending plan would leave a $40 million hole in the second year of the budget - one that might need to be patched by a parcel tax. Several of the city's labor unions took up the mantle, fundraising big to get the tax measure on the ballot for the June 2 primary."

"This month, however, Lee unveiled a mid-cycle budget that is balanced - if austere - and does not rely on new tax revenue. She also released a Measure E spending plan, saying the revenue would allow important additions like 22 police officers and a police academy to train recruits, replacements for decrepit city vehicles like fire engines, new shelter beds, and the expansion of other services."

"Depending on who's asked, Measure E is either crucial to Oakland's public safety and homelessness response, or a cash grab without accountability. Accusations of "loopholes" and "misinformation" and "slumlords" are flying. The city's largest labor union has dumped close to half a million dollars. The real estate industry is rallying."

Read at The Oaklandside