Supporters of Measure C renewal hold kickoff rally outside Merced Civic Center
Supporters of Measure C rallied outside the Merced Civic Center on Thursday to kick off a petition drive for the public safety tax.
The Committee for a Safer Merced held the rally in an effort to gather signatures for a petition to renew Measure C which is due to expire in 2026. According to committee chairperson and former Merced Mayor Mike Murphy, the measure was approved in 2006.
The measure failed to garner the support necessary to be placed on the November 2022 ballot. The half-cent sales tax funds public safety officers as well as providing resources for emergency responses and road improvements.
Opponents to the measure voiced frustration last November saying little effort was made by the city to engage residents over how the tax should proceed if renewed.
Representatives from police and fire employee associations as well as Merced’s business community joined the committee in the signature-gathering effort in front of City Hall.
According to Murphy, 4,000 signatures are required over the next 180 days in order for the measure to be placed back on the ballot in March 2024. Murphy said those 4,000 signatures represents 1 in 10 of the roughly 40,000 voters in the city.
The new Measure C will be similar to the existing measure, including the half-cent sales tax, funding for police and fire protection as well as road maintenance with a 20-year sunset date with one key difference. Where the new measure differs from the existing measure is that it can only be used for the approved aforementioned uses. Legally, no elected official will be able to override its approved uses, according to Murphy.
“So we will do for ourselves what the city council would not do for us last November. We will put Measure C on the ballot. We will collect enough signatures from our friends, from our neighbors and from their friends and from their neighbors to bring certainty to our city’s public safety budget. Hence the reason we are outside City Hall rather than inside the City Council chambers,” said Murphy while speaking to dozens who gathered outside the Merced Civic Center. “Although we want the help and support of the city council, we will put the measure on the ballot directly for voters,” Muphy said.
Murphy said it will be hard to complete the task of collecting enough signatures.
“This is an all hands on deck situation to stand up for our city. We can complain about politics or politicians and lack of safety, but unless we do something to act, something to save ourselves, then we aren’t really improving our city. Let’s all be part of that solution,” Murphy said.
Local business owner and Merced resident Peg Larson spoke during the rally and voiced her support of the measure being placed on the ballot so citizens of Merced can voice their support.
“Last fall the City Council voted to not allow the measure to be on the ballot because it didn’t include affordable housing language,” said Larson. “That clearly is a separate issue and that should have its own measure, put it on the ballot and allow the citizens to decide if they want their sales tax to go to affordable housing,” Larson said.
Chad Englert, president of the Merced Firefighters Association, spoke during the rally and called upon attendees to renew the measure on the ballot so that Merced residents can decide for themselves if they want the measure to continue.
“If Measure C is not renewed, our emergency response capabilities will be impacted,” said Englert. “The fire department stands to lose up to 30% of our staffing.”
Raquel Rios, a representative for the Merced Police Officers Association, voiced her support of the measure.
“We are presently losing experienced officers from the City of Merced because of the uncertainty. We are looking for a new police chief and a new city manager. As the city prepares budgets for upcoming years, we know the revenue picture is uncertain. It is hard for them to make long term plans when the city doesn’t even know what the resources are available to them,” Rios said.