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Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association Director Greg Coladonato on the two-word mistake in a measure that could cost the Santa Clara Valley Water Distri...
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-- -- words could cost the California government agency more than half a billion dollars.
The wording on -- ballot measure proposed by the Santa Clara valley water district totaled 77.
Words.
Two more than the maximum allowed by a lot.
Now the Silicon Valley taxpayers association.
Is take in the case to court they want the ballot measure to be thrown out completely which means no funding for the water district.
-- -- -- -- -- -- right -- the Silicon Valley taxpayers association.
Greg thank you so much for joining me.
Thank you senate well first thought this whole thing seems just a little bit for the frivolous to me and probably to a few folks listening -- -- YR -- your organization pursuing this so hard.
Well the Silicon -- taxpayers association sees it is our mission to stick up for the silicon -- taxpayer.
And if nobody is watching the agencies that are putting taxes on us.
Who is and I would like to point out that the the two word over the limit problem.
Was not brought up by the taxpayers association was actually brought up by the registrar of voters that that first noticed the problem and told the district about it.
When we got involved was when.
The district had a meeting to fix the problem and they violated the open meeting law.
In doing so so that's and we found out about it and brought -- everyone's attention and and yet we would like to -- about measure thrown out they still haven't they can put this on about -- 2014.
2016 there's it and any number of ways it can get around this problem but for now we think they stick up about.
I'm just curious -- -- it is this a bigger problem is this all the ballot measures that are in California that a lot of people are gonna argue is the problem to begin with and that.
Possibly we should -- have elected officials you know voting on these rather than every single citizen.
Well if it were the case that the California legislature was it was a well oiled machine that was producing balanced budgets and being very careful taxpayer dollars and maybe.
You'd be right but if you've looked into that lately that's not really the case and so.
I personally think the initiative process is good because it brought -- prop thirteen among.
Many other good initiatives and prop thirteen is a prime knows what that keeps our property tax rates and a manageable level rather than just the kind of rising out of control.
Obviously the bigger theme here is also just wasteful spending not just you know in general but in the state of California.
I'm -- senior but the water district met for under three minutes to remove that -- words.
And -- eligible themselves to receive their standard payment of 286.
Dollars per meeting up some of them are saying that they won't accept the compensation.
But the fact that in.
-- married to begin with and that they even met over the two words.
Isn't that.
A big problem.
Well -- a a report just came out in the last week that analyze the 600 different agencies in California that.
-- charged the state government for their open meeting law compliance.
And the water district it was one of the two -- the two highest charge back agencies in the whole state where the Santa Clair county and the senate are valley water district.
And so you know they'll you'll see line items -- like 9000 dollars for preparing the minutes remaining.
I've got definite -- deftly got concerns about what's going on -- their.
-- -- loved and we've got two seconds where's this gonna and dot.
Hopefully those taken off the ballot and that will save taxpayers 540 million dollars this time around alright very had a Greg -- than not -- thank you for joining us.
