If Sacramento wants the additional money, let them come to the people directly with tax hikes. This indirect tax strikes me as taxation without representation.

Actually, it is taxation with representation. Our elected legislature and executive are responsible. In fact, our assembly member has an office on Castro Street, next to the appliance store if you're looking where to picket.

This money grab is more reason to reform or get rid of prop 13.

This happens because local governments no longer have control of revenues. Instead of local property taxes paying for services, cities and counties rely on the state sales tax for revenues. Those revenues are controlled by the state. This is a serious issue and will continue to be an issue, even with a Constitutional Amendment to protect the amount the state must dedicate to those purposes. Such is the case with the education proposition that forces the state to spend a set amount of the general fund for education.

City, county, state, and federal government are all grabbing OUR money as taxpayers and returning very little to us. Take a look a the big three 150K plus salaries of our own city hall and tell me who is robbing who.

Evan, you're right! It is ridiculous to have such high salaries plus pension of 15K/a month doing nothing! I think Californian executive and legislative structure have problems that need to be fixed ASAP. Year after year end up with a huge budget that results from these ridicules.

Representatives at any level of government should be compensated in line with the median compensation of their constituents; thus, the incentive to promote the greater good. As it is, we've got hogs at the trough. We are by no means bound by these atrocious pension plans. They can and will be scrapped, economic necessity will force that, sooner than later.

Evan, Kimberly, and Ben:

Don't like it? Time for you to run for city council and set things straight! :-)

dfb, l.o.l, I wish I were a part of this city and could talk my voice. Our voice just fell on deaf ears, you know. Btw, it's not that simple and easy to run for a simple job at this city hall and set things straight as we wish!

dfb, the Bailey Savings & Loan is gone. This is Potterville. Frank Capra is dead.

Old Ben, last night the NBC news said that JAP (Japan Airline) has just scrapped off a lot of their officials' high-over-the-sky pensions! The Japanese government ask them to do that and not allow them to declare bankruptcy. I think you may be right. In the future, it would be a new trend to scrape off too high pension.

Not happy with the State grab of local revenues, then be sure to sign the petition to qualify the measure for the November election, and tell your friends to do the same.