Be skepitcal of Measure Y and where it will send that weed money
Mercedians should be wary of the position carefully crafted by the City Council to promote Measure Y. It is a stealthy way to pay for a massive and unnecessary increase in law enforcement.
Why? The spending allows for up to 60 percent of cannabis tax revenue to be directed to police. This revenue is necessary to pay for the huge new police department on the old Merced Sun-Star site that will cost tens of millions of dollars with the planned capacity for more than double the number of police officers. Why the need for so many officers and such a large building to support them?
It is based on the General Plan that projected a rapid population increase for Merced. This plan assumes the city will have 35,000 more people in two years than today and will have doubled to 155,000 by 2030. The plan calls for more intensive policing – 20 percent higher than other nearby California cities with similar crime rates. Funny enough, the Fire Department projects population growth to just 103,000 by 2030.
Mercedians should understand what is being done in their name.
Alex Tolley, Merced
This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Be skepitcal of Measure Y and where it will send that weed money."