Measure KK is Deceptive

Save Our Hills
Measure KK is
Deceptive
October 4, 2014
For immediate release
Contact: Bob Garfinkle
(510) 489-4779
Union city voters don’t deserve to be deceived. Here’s the real truth
there’s a wide range that could be preand in a good fight, but that it’s OK to deabout Measure KK. pass,
sented to the City in the final specific proceive people. That’s wrong. It’s wrong to
Union City, CA — Large professionallycreated billboards stating that Measure
KK will preserve the Hills have sprouted
along Mission Boulevard. However, the
Union City Flatlands Development Initiative, Measure KK, will remove 63 acres
of land from the protection of the
Hillside Area Plan, which was adopted by
65% of the voters in 1996.
“The Masonic Home is pretending that
Measure KK will add new protections”,
says former Union City Council Member
Bob Garfinkle, who helped draft most of
the language in the Hillside Area Plan.
“If you look at the wording of the part of
their initiative that actually changes the
ordinance, there’s no new protections.
We were very careful when we drafted
the policies to cover all the bases, and
those bases are still covered. These guys
are not adding anything new. They’re
just flat out deceiving the voters into
thinking they’re getting something new,
when they’re not.”
“The ballot language itself talks in generalities about the buildings, the open spaces, and the uses,” says Union City Mayor
Carol Dutra-Vernaci. “So should this
posal. And when they sell off the nondeceive the public.”
heritage portion, then the developer does not
Elizabeth Ames, Chair of Save Our Hills,
have to adhere to anything that’s on these
expresses additional concerns over the integdepictions.”
rity of the elections. “A polling station is
When asked whether the community gardens, being established at the Masonic Home.
vineyards, and parklands that the Masons have
proposed could be done without passing
Measure KK, Dutra-Vernaci replies, “The
current hillside ordinance specifically states
that this land be used for agricultural purposes, open space, or even recreational purposes.” If the Masons wanted to, they could create many of their proposals without Measure
KK.
Rebecca Spindler, who was protesting Measure KK at a recent Save Our Hills rally, chastises the Masons for misleading voters.
“Unfortunately, this particular measure is being supported by telling people that if you
vote yes for Measure KK, you are protecting
the hills. It’s frustrating because people think
they’re doing the right thing, because the Masons have confused the voting public. That
part is underhanded, and political figures that
are endorsing Measure KK, I won’t vote for
them again, because it means they don’t think
it’s wrong for someone who’s trying to get
their point across to not to do it aboveboard,
We’re on the Web! http://saveunioncityhills.com
Since the Masonic Home is the sponsor and
major funder of Measure KK., this is a huge
conflict of interest. We have reminded the
Registrar that this is equivalent to holding an
election at a candidate's campaign office.”
Garfinkle adds, “We feel that fairness dictates that at the least, all votes on Measure
KK cast at that polling station should not be
counted. We have no way of verifying that
there was no coercion to vote yes placed
upon the residents by the management of
the Home.”

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