No new taxes is my mantra for Oakley. The Bay Area Housing Authority (BAHFA), in conjunction with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), placed a ten-billion-dollar bond issue for a nine-county area to build affordable housing. The bond issue will appear on the November 2024 ballot, and if the vote is two-thirds in favor, all households, including Oakley, will experience a property tax increase.
Residents in Oakley are overtaxed on their properties. The additional burden is unconscionable, especially when counties such as San Mateo could push the bond approval over the top. As citizens of Oakley, we need to get our minds set on ensuring the bond issue does not pass.
I will continue to post reminders of the vote as we move forward to the November 2024 ballot.
Councilmember Williams remarked on October 10, 2023, that Oakley was not doing enough for affordable housing. She can be heard saying the bond issue would enhance Oakley. Below is a link to the discussion of October 10, 2023, where I explain in detail my position concerning the BAHFA measure to increase taxes for Oakley residents.
George Fuller, Ed.D.
City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA