Dear Friends,

I am writing to ask you to be keenly aware of an effort underway that is not in the collective interests of the people of Richmond!

If you are approached by someone asking you to sign a petition to lower your utility users tax, I urge you to stop and think.

Chevron is paying to try and put this measure on the ballot (See West County Times 4/2/10).  If passed, the utility users tax would be cut in half, from 10% to 5%, and Richmond would lose at least $8 million per year in revenue, and likely more, resulting in lost services: Senior Centers-- Library – Police – Fire – Recreation – Street Repair.

I see this as a mean-spirited gesture aimed at hurting Richmond during a time when the City is already facing budget shortfalls from the global recession and foreclosure crisis, resulting in layoffs and cuts in much needed services.  Chevron's measure would only make things worse for our residents.

While the average household might save about $3 per month, this measure could save Chevron millions of dollars per year, in spite of paid signature gatherers' false claims that it would guarantee $20 million in annual payments from Chevron.  If you read the measure http://www.tombutt.com/pdf/ChevronUUT.pdf , it states that any utility user would have the option of paying $20 million per year if they wish to protect confidential proprietary information.  This is a loophole that could be used by Chevron to pay substantially less.

If there aren’t enough signatures to put this measure on the ballot, your utility users tax of a few dollars per month will remain the same with no change, and valuable City services for residents will be protected.

Do you want Chevron to destroy Richmond services to preserve their own perks and profits? 
If not, then DON'T SIGN THE PETITION!

Beware of Chevron masquerading as a friend of the people.

For more information and a flyer, see http://www.richmondprogressivealliance.net/#ChevronTrick 

Thank you so much for continuing to support a healthy, transparent, and better Richmond for our community!

Sincerely,

Gayle