Are We THIS Dissatisfied with Our Current Level of County?

Surrounding cities such as Hayward, San Leandro, Fremont, and Oakland have business parks, manufacturing and large retail shopping areas which contribute to these cities’ tax base and reduce taxes the residents have to pay. Castro Valley is a “ bedroom community “ and is largely built up. We have no space for significant new business development which means that we, the residents ( renters and home owners ) would be responsible for many of the taxes needed to support city services.

The Birkson Draft Report on CV cityhood estimates it would cost us an extra $7 million to support our existing level of government services. Frank Mellon, who has many years of experience in local government as an East Bay MUD director, estimates that becoming a city would cost us an extra $ 14 million per year in taxes.

A more useful way to appreciate the cost of cityhood is to realize that right now, as an unincorporated part of Alameda County, our government services are being subsidized by the County to the tune of 7 to 14 million dollars a year. Are we really so dissatisfied with our current level of County- provided services that we would want to pay an extra 7 to 14 million dollars a year for the same services? Or even more for expanded services?

–Steve Rosenberg, Castro Valley