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From: <br />To:Jocelyn Kwong <br />Cc:Jack Balch <br />Subject:Increase TRUST then Increase TAXES <br />Date:Sunday, July 14, 2024 12:29:46 PM <br /> *** [EXTERNAL] This message comes from an external organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clickinglinks, especially from unknown senders. *** <br />Jocelyn Kwong – Jack Balch was kind enough to point out that my original message <br />below might not reach all of the intended recipients and suggested I send it to you for <br />further distribution. <br /> <br /> <br />To the Pleasanton City Council and Gerry Beaudin, <br /> <br />In addition to the original message below I’d like to add that it might be instinctive to take <br />a defensive posture and explain away the examples I listed in my original message. I <br />believe long term, productive solutions can result when leaders accept the perceptions <br />of their audience rather than tell that audience they are simply wrong or unaware of the <br />details, issues, etc. <br /> <br />An extra 50 cents for every $100 spent will hardly make a difference with the above <br />average income levels in the city of Pleasanton. The reason you all are facing so much <br />resistance to an increase in our city’s sales tax rate is not because we are all looking for <br />a quick fix as Gerry puts it, but rather the vast majority of Pleasanton residents simply do <br />not TRUST this city council. <br /> <br />From the perspective of Pleasanton residents, you all have hoped the problem would <br />resolve itself while the city’s revenue streams deteriorated. Here are just a few that <br />remind Pleasanton residents of that every day we leave our homes. <br /> <br />1. Retail vacancy rates, combined with the lack of sales tax producing tenants. <br />a. How much square footage in the mall remains vacant that could have <br />ordinarily been used to generate more sale tax revenue? <br />b. How many vacancies do we have in downtown? <br />c. How may non sales tax producing tenants such as banks and real estate <br />offices do we have in downtown? <br />2. Costco and Matt Sullivan <br />a. How much money did Matt Sullivan waste with his protests that focused on <br />the needs of a few and not what Pleasanton residents want and voted for