By Garth Peterson
I am all for Measure V and you should be, too.
In case you don’t know, Measure V will allow the City of Chino to collect an added 1 percent in sales tax on all taxable items sold in the city. It will go toward balancing the city’s budget and making sure it stays in the black and not in the red in the future. For anyone who hasn’t been following things, our city is now engaged in deficit spending. In another three or four years we will be completely broke. What will we do then?
A committee to ensure that Measure V passes, called Yes on V, has been formed. Just so there is no confusion about it, some of the most generous donors to Yes On V are police officers. The Chino Police Officers Association – that’s the patrol officers and detectives who keep us safe – provided $5,000 to the committee. The Chino Police Management Association – the union representing the lieutenants and captains in the department – passed the hat around and they donated another $3,000.
If that doesn’t convince you that you should donate something, anything, to the Yes on V Committee – $50 or $100 or even just $25 – so we can get this tax passed, let me give you more information to convince you. The police officers didn’t just stop with their union supporting Measure V. They went out of their way to create a political action committee, Chino Police Officers for Political Stability, and they raised another $1,718 so they can do even more to make Measure V pass.
Chino Police Lieutenant Aaron Kelliher is one of the leaders of the Yes on V Committtee. In addition, Jeff Allison, who used to be a lieutenant on the police department and former Chino Valley Fire Captain Keith Stroup and former Chino City Councilman Walt Pocock are members of the Yes on V Committee. You know right there they are a bunch of really good people.
The city will be in a world of hurt if it doesn’t pass this tax. We might not be able to give our police officers the raises they deserve without it. If that doesn’t bother you, there’s something wrong with you. You are either a criminal or you plain don’t like the police, and there can’t be any other reason.
Think about it! In October 2022, the Chino Valley Unified School District gave teachers a permanent 8.75 percent raise and on top of that a temporary one-time raise of 2 percent. That’s 10.75 percent!
You know what they say about teachers: Those who can do things, do things. Those who can’t, teach. If we can pay our teachers who aren’t any good at anything other than being glorified babysitters a 10.75 percent raise, surely we can afford to pay our police as much.
I’ll say it this way: If you are against this tax, you are a coward. If you are against this tax, would you be willing to put your name on a list of those who are against it and send that list to the police department? I didn’t think so. If you are a coward, just don’t vote on March 5. Our city will be better for it.