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All citizens registered to vote in the the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors este 5 de marzo deberán elegir entre dar un sí o un no a la Medida B, la cual tiene que ver con la adopción de un impuesto especial para el área de servicio del condado que, de ser adoptada, recaudaría hasta 90 mil dólares anuales para protección de policía y bomberos.

Y es que, el 7 de noviembre de 2023, la Junta de Supervisores del Condado de San Mateo adoptó una resolución para renovar la recaudación de un impuesto especial sobre la propiedad ubicada en el Área de Servicio del Condado No. 1 (“Área de Servicio”), que, de ser aprobada, recaudaría hasta aproximadamente 90 mil dólares anuales para servicios extendidos de protección de policía y bomberos. 

En virtud de la Sección 50075, debe presentarse a los votantes del Área de Servicio una medida electoral para la aprobación del impuesto especial.

Un impuesto especial para la policía y los servicios de protección contra incendios en el Área de Servicio se ha recaudado desde 1982, y fue renovado más recientemente por los votantes en 2020. 

La Junta de Supervisores determina el importe específico del impuesto cada año, con una tasa máxima de 65 dólares anuales por parcela. Actualmente, está previsto que el impuesto especial expire el 30 de junio de 2024.

Si esta Medida es aprobada por los votantes del Área de Servicio, el impuesto especial continuaría recaudándose por un período adicional de cuatro años, comenzando el 1 de julio de 2024 y finalizando el 30 de junio de 2028. 

La Junta de Supervisores seguiría fijando el importe específico del impuesto especial cada año, con un tipo máximo de 65 dólares anuales por parcela, tras una audiencia pública notificada. 

La recaudación del impuesto especial sólo podrá destinarse a la ampliación de los servicios de policía y de protección estructural contra incendios en la zona de servicio de bomberos en el Área de Servicio, y para ningún otro fin. 

La recaudación del impuesto debe ingresarse en una cuenta especial y se elaborará un informe anual en el que se describan las cantidades recaudadas y gastadas.

Un voto afirmativo a esta Medida permitiría la continuación de un impuesto especial que se cobraría sobre la propiedad dentro de los límites del Área de Servicio para los servicios de protección policial y contra incendios ampliados a una tasa no mayor a 65 dólares por parcela por año durante cuatro años adicionales, desde el 1 de julio de 2024 hasta el 30 de junio de 2028.

Un voto “no” a esta Medida no permitiría que se recaude el impuesto especial, y el impuesto actual apoyaría los servicios extendidos de policía y protección contra incendios en el Área de Servicio hasta el 30 de junio de 2024.

Cabe señalar que esta Medida se aprueba si dos tercios de los votantes votan “sí”.

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Measure C

El Distrito Escolar Elemental de Jefferson (“Distrito”) tiene actualmente en vigor un impuesto anual sobre las parcelas de 68 dólares por cada una, que expirará el 30 de junio de 2026.

La Junta Directiva del Distrito propone adoptar un nuevo impuesto especial aumentado para apoyar varios propósitos educativos.

Si se aprueba esta Medida, se impondría un nuevo impuesto anual de 88 dólares por parcela por un período de nueve años a partir del 1 de julio de 2026, después de que venza el impuesto existente, y hasta el 30 de junio de 2035.

El impuesto por parcela propuesto se aplica a cualquier unidad de propiedad inmobiliaria total o parcialmente en el Distrito que recibe una factura de impuesto a la propiedad por separado de la recaudación de impuestos del Condado de San Mateo.

Los propósitos declarados del impuesto de parcela propuesto incluyen: 

• Atraer y retener a profesores de alta calidad, evitar los despidos de profesores y personal, y proporcionar compensación competitiva para los maestros y empleados escolares;
• Proteger el núcleo académico en matemáticas, ciencias, tecnología, lectura y escritura;
• Ayudar a los estudiantes a leer en el nivel de grado, mantener la instrucción de alfabetización dedicado, y proporcionar apoyo adicional a los estudiantes con dificultades;
• Ampliar las oportunidades de aprendizaje práctico de ciencias y mantener clases reducidas;
• Mejorar y apoyar la tecnología para el aprendizaje de los alumnos;
• Mejorar las bibliotecas escolares y las clases de música y arte;
• Provide counseling and health services;
• Support after-school and enrichment programs.

Measurement E

La Junta de Fideicomisarios del Distrito Escolar Elemental de Woodside (“Distrito”) propone esta Medida que autoriza al Distrito a emitir bonos por un monto principal que no supere los 36 millones de dólares. Los bonos tendrán una tasa de interés que no superará el máximo legal y se devolverán dentro del plazo permitido por la ley. 

La lista de proyectos de bonos se puede encontrar en el texto completo de la medida, e incluye sin limitación: 

• Reparación y/o sustitución de tejados y sistemas de calefacción, ventilación y refrigeración ventilación y refrigeración;
• Estabilización de los arroyos adyacentes a los terrenos de la escuela;
• Actualización/renovación de todas las aulas para adaptarlas a los estándares educativos actuales, incluyendo equipamiento tecnológico, instalaciones e infraestructura;
• Construir, adquirir y/o instalar sistemas de energía y/o agua renovables, sostenibles y eficientes. renovables, sostenibles y eficientes;
• Renovar, reconfigurar, reemplazar y/o mejorar las instalaciones y terrenos escolares existentes para que sirvan de doble uso como refugio de emergencia, reunión de la comunidad y/o centro de operaciones de emergencia; 
• Renovate, rehabilitate, reconfigure, replace and/or update classrooms and other school buildings;
• Build, modernize, relocate and/or renovate sports facilities and school grounds;
• Adquirir, sustituir, actualizar y/o instalar sistemas de seguridad y protección;
• Reemplazar, renovar, construir y/o adquirir e instalar fuentes y baños fuentes y aseos;
• Modernize, renovate and improve the amphitheater.

Measurement G

La Junta Directiva del Distrito Escolar de Pacifica (“Distrito”) propone esta Medida, que autorizaría al Distrito a emitir bonos por un monto principal que no exceda los 70 millones de dólares. Los bonos tendrán una tasa de interés que no excederá el máximo legal y serán reembolsados dentro del plazo permitido por la ley. 

La lista de proyectos de bonos se puede encontrar en el texto completo de la medida, e incluye, sin limitación:

• Reparación/sustitución de tejados;
• Renovación general de aulas, salas polivalentes, bibliotecas, bibliotecas, laboratorios, oficinas, portátiles, baños, edificios administrativos y otras instalaciones;
• Adquisición y construcción de viviendas de alquiler asequibles para la mano de obra local y/o otras viviendas para profesores y personal;
• Furniture/equipment improvements;
• Structural improvements;
• Mejoras/sustitución de sistemas eléctricos;
• Mejoras/sustitución de sistemas de calefacción, ventilación y aire acondicionado;
• Mejora y ampliación de los aseos;
• Mejora/construcción de instalaciones incluyendo aulas, salas de banda, salas polivalentes, gimnasio y un centro de artes escénicas;
• Mejoras de fontanería;
• Mejoras de jardinería y/o paisajismo, incluidas estructuras de juego, aparcamientos, riego de campos y pistas y campos de atletismo;
• Safety improvements, including upgrades to security and fire alarm systems;
• Sustitución de aulas portátiles por aulas modulares;
• Adquisición de bienes inmuebles.

Measurement H

La Junta Directiva del Distrito Escolar de San Carlos (“Distrito”) propone esta Medida, que autorizaría al Distrito a emitir bonos por un monto principal que no exceda los 176 millones de dólares. Los bonos tendrán una tasa de interés que no excederá el máximo legal y serán reembolsados dentro del plazo permitido por la ley. 

La Declaración de tipos impositivos impresa en este folleto contiene las mejores estimaciones del Distrito de los tipos impositivos necesarios para el servicio de la deuda de bonos durante la vida de los bonos, que se prevé que dure hasta junio de 2058. El Distrito estima que el importe total a reembolsar durante la vigencia del bono, incluidos el principal y los intereses, ascenderá aproximadamente a 338 millones de dólares.

La lista de proyectos de bonos se puede encontrar en el texto completo de la medida, e incluye, sin limitación:

• Adquisición, instalación y/o sustitución de sistemas de calefacción, ventilación y aire acondicionado;
• Construcción, reparación, sustitución y/o renovación de tejados, aseos, cocinas
• sanitary facilities, hot stoves, windows, doors, hard and soft landscaping, irrigation and drainage, and shade structures;
• Construcción, mejora y/o ampliación de centros de enseñanza preescolar y Construcción, mejora y/o ampliación de centros de aprendizaje temprano y jardines de infancia de transición;
• Sustitución y/o mejora de los sistemas de seguridad, salud y protección;
• Upgrading playgrounds with updated equipment and surfaces;
• Renovations to address health and safety risks and/or meet legal health, safety and accessibility requirements;
• Creación de zonas y espacios de aprendizaje interiores y exteriores;
• Modernización y/o mejora de las instalaciones de acuerdo con el actual Plan Maestro de Instalaciones del Distrito;
• Sustitución y/o mejora de los sistemas de servicios públicos, equipos y infraestructura y alojamiento;
• Adquisición e instalación de equipos y sistemas energéticamente eficientes;
• Mejoras para mitigar la erosión;
• Improvement of student drop-off areas and parking lots;
• Mejora de los equipos tecnológicos, las instalaciones y la infraestructura para apoyar las prácticas de instrucción STEAM y la innovación en el aula.

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwupTjemmn0[/embedyt]

By Pamela Cruz with information from Raúl Ayala. Peninsula 360 Press.

“San Mateo County is offering voters a choice. Registered voters receive a ballot in the mail…” begins an advertisement that the county distributed on radio and Internet platforms to inform voters about the election this Tuesday, March 5, the day on which the primary elections will be held. The countdown begins!

Jim Irizarry, assistant chief of elections for San Mateo County, told Peninsula 360 Press what will be voted on this Tuesday, March 5.

"It's called the presidential primary, which will decide who will represent various parties in the general election in November; but within that general election there are several elections that are also taking place here (on a) state level," Irizarry said. 

“We also have, locally, the board of supervisors that are running, and several cities that are coordinating elections for measures and proposals and, if they pass, they will become law, that is more at the level of cities and school districts.

And if people have not yet voted, what should they do?

“Voting started on February 5 in San Mateo County, when we opened the voting centers; we sent all registered voters ballots that are already in the hands of the voters. You can vote before March 5. With that ballot you can send it by mail, you can vote (in person) at a voting center, or you can drop it off in a ballot box that we have placed in the county.”

Additionally, he said, there is another way people can vote: “We have a program called Remote Accessible Vote-By-Mail (RAVBM), and if a person wants to request their ballot electronically, they call us and we send it to them, they can mark the ballot and mail it to us.”

The assistant chief of elections also told us what the Voting Centers located in cities in the county are for.

“March 5 is Election Day and all polling places are going to be open from 7:00 in the morning until 8:00 at night; this weekend we have 49 polling places that people can go to vote. The polling places are there to help voters with questions they have, for example, if they want to register to vote they can go there and do so up until Election Day.” 

The official added that “the voting centers are there to provide services, but also to be able to vote in person. All the voting centers have voting machines. So, if there are people who feel more comfortable voting on a machine, they can go to the voting centers and vote there.”

He also explained that “these centers help people who may have disabilities. Also, on election day, we have what is called Curbside Voting, where people can go to the voting centers. We have 16 that are accepting ballots on the street.”

And what is the most important thing that voters who received the ballot and want to send it or deliver it should keep in mind, so that their vote counts?

“The most important thing is that people sign their envelope when they send their ballot to the office or put it in the ballot box. If they are voting at a polling place, we have all that information there and we confirm that the voter has done so and they can and do vote on a machine, but most people vote by mail, so they send it to the postal system or use one of the boxes. The most important thing is, if you are going to send it by mail, make sure you send it no later than March 5th at 12 o’clock at night. It has to have a date and time stamp to prove that it was sent on Election Day before 12 o’clock at night.”

Does the voter have to bring any identification?

“To register, yes, to vote, no. Only people who are registered can vote. When they send the ballot by mail, there is no identification required, we already have the identification because we sent them the ballot. The most important thing, again in this case, is that they sign their envelope, because then you don't know who is voting if they don't sign the envelope.”

Until what time can you vote on Tuesday the 5th?

“Until 8:00 at night. We start at 7:00 in the morning and we finish at 8:00 at night; if you want to vote inside a voting center you can do so until 8:00 at night, if you are in line you can vote no matter if it is at 9:00, but you have to be in line before 8:00 at night.”

And what is the best way to find out where the voting centers and special drop-off boxes are?

“You can call us at 6503125222, it is our phone number, we have people there, in all languages, you can come to the voting center, here at 40 Tower Road, in San Mateo, and you can also go to our website which is smcvote.gov, there you have all the information about this election.”

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In an attempt to fight hate and hate crimes that linger like a dark shadow over our societies, Chinese and Hispanic farmworkers gathered at a multicultural farmworker event in Half Moon Bay, California, Tuesday night, in a rare community event organized by Ethnic Media Services, Peninsula 360 Press and Rancho San Benito.

The event highlighted the critical safety and health care needs of the farmworker community and Peter Schurmann reports on it in the note “Event Highlights Healthcare, Safety Measures for Local Farmworkers” (Half Moon Bay event highlights safety measures, health care for farmworkers).

The event held in the Half Moon Bay Library's community room turned out to be much more than that. In a moving display of unity and cultural exchange, residents of Half Moon Bay, California, came together to transcend borders and celebrate diversity in all its forms.

Half Moon Bay’s first Latino mayor, Joaquin Jimenez, opened the event by acknowledging that farmworkers endure conditions akin to “modern-day slavery,” and stressing the importance of access to information in one’s native language to improve circumstances.

His words carried special weight, given the tragic events that occurred just a year earlier, when lives were claimed in a devastating incident on 23 January 2023. The importance of breaking down language barriers was made clear by the fact that the entire event was simultaneously translated into Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, acknowledging that such barriers had played a role in the tragedy.

Amid the somber remembrance, the event became a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity, with food, dance and festivities serving as symbols of resistance and unity.

Attendees enjoyed a culinary feast that honored the traditions of the Chinese and Mexican communities, with dishes ranging from tasty Chinese noodles, fried rice and bao, to mouthwatering Mexican chicken, pastor and beef burritos, accompanied by tortilla chips, salsas and refreshing horchata and jamaica waters.

The aroma of these delicacies mingled with the lively rhythms of traditional Guatemalan music and the graceful movements of the Chinese Lion Dancers, captivating the senses and infusing joy and vitality into the atmosphere.

The vibrant rhythms of Guatemalan and Mexican music filled the air, as dancers dressed in traditional Guatemalan costumes and led by Eduardo Torres of the organization Casa Circulo Cultural from Redwood City, displayed their artistry and passion. With every movement, they conveyed the beauty and richness of their respective cultures, inviting attendees to join them in celebration and solidarity.

As the music filled the air, two dancers invited the audience to join them on the dance floor; in that moment, social pressures and barriers dissolved, creating a space where people could simply let go and dance.

The event was a convergence of cultures, exemplified by a Chinese woman and a Mexican man moving gracefully to the rhythm of Guatemalan music. It was more than just a dance, it was a beautiful fusion of art and expression, showcasing the power of unity and diversity. The fusion of the arts.

As the community came together to share these cultural delights, it became clear that through the bonds forged by food, dance, and shared experiences, they were not only honoring the past, but also building a brighter future together.

Stopping hate with multicultural actions requires a multifaceted approach that addresses both the underlying causes of prejudice and discrimination and promotes understanding, empathy and inclusion.

By bringing together people from diverse cultural backgrounds, multicultural events facilitate building relationships and bridging divides. As people interact and share common experiences, they develop empathy and respect for one another, breaking down barriers that can lead to hatred and discrimination.

In a world often marked by division and discord, acts like this serve as beacons of hope, reminding us of the richness and strength that lies in embracing diversity.

During the event, informative flyers were distributed to invite and encourage the community to vote, reminding them that we all have the responsibility to decide on the future of the country, regardless of the country of origin, the voice of the vote is for everyone.

Through food, music, dance and shared experiences, the communities of Half Moon Bay came together to celebrate their differences and discover their common humanity. At the end of the festivities, spirits were filled with a renewed sense of belonging and a commitment to continue building cultural bridges that transcend borders and generations.

This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the CaliFornia State Library. 

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By Bay City News.

A man accused of attacking a woman carrying an Israeli flag and setting her on fire during a Gaza protest in El Cerrito is being charged with felony counts with special hate crime allegations, Contra Costa prosecutors said Friday.

Christopher Khamis Victor Husary, 36, of Hayward, faces charges of second-degree robbery, grand larceny and arson in connection with a Jan. 6 clash between pro-Israel supporters and Palestinians over the war in Gaza.

Husary pushed a woman carrying an Israeli flag and set her on fire, and grabbed another Israeli flag that was being carried on the shoulders of a second woman, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said.

“While the First Amendment is fundamental to our democracy, it does not protect against threats, injury, intimidation or property damage,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement.

“Furthermore, when such actions arise from prejudices related to race, gender, religion, ancestry or national origin, they become hate crimes,” he said.

Husary was arrested at his home on Wednesday, El Cerrito police said. Although the suspect in the case was wearing a face covering, police said members of the public helped them identify Husary.

This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the CaliFornia State Library. 

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The ballot received by registered voters in San Mateo County will give them the opportunity to decide whether to support or oppose Proposition 1, which seeks addiction treatment and mental health care reform, as well as bonds to build treatment facilities and housing.

But what does this mean?

Proposition 1 authorizes $6.38 billion in bonds to build mental health treatment centers for people with mental health and substance abuse issues and seeks to provide housing for the homeless. 

If accepted, it amends the Mental Health Services Act to provide additional behavioral health services. 

Tax impact: Transfer approximately $140 million annually from existing county tax revenues to the state for mental health, drug and alcohol treatment. Increased state bond payment costs of $310 million annually for 30 years. 

Supporters of this proposal: California Professional Firefighters; California Association of Veterans Service Agencies; National Alliance on Mental Illness of California Opponents: Mental Health America of California; Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association; CalVoices.

What does your vote mean?

One vote for YEAH This measure means: Counties would need to shift some of the mental health care and drug or alcohol treatment services they currently provide to focus more on housing and personalized support services. The state could borrow up to $6.4 billion to build (1) more places where people can get mental health care and drug or alcohol treatment and (2) more housing for people with those problems.

One vote for NO This measure means: Counties would not need to change the mental health care and drug or alcohol treatment services they currently provide. The state would not be able to borrow up to $6.4 billion to build more places where people can get mental health care and drug or alcohol treatment and more housing for people in that situation.

Arguments

Pros: Proposition 1 addresses California's urgent homelessness, mental health, and addiction crisis by authorizing $6.4 billion in bonds and allocating billions more annually to expand mental health and addiction services, build permanent supportive housing, and assist homeless veterans.

Cons: Prop 1 is huge, expensive, and destructive. It costs more than $10 billion, but it is not a “solution” for homelessness. Now is a bad time for new bonds and debt. Prop 1 cuts funding for mental health programs that work. Mental health advocates and taxpayer groups oppose it.

For additional information on Proposition 1 being pushed by Governor Gavin Newsom's Ballot Initiative Committee, voters can visit the website TreatmentNotTents.com.

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