By Samuel Strait – Reporter at Large – April 13, 2022 Irregardless of the Del Norte County's Board Of Supervisors on going efforts to hide from the public and the voters in the Fall, there is a growing movement and outrage over the behavior of those that feed at the public trough and in particular those that have been elected to local office. As much as County Supervisor Chris Howard would like to paper over the obstruction by the County of placing Measure "R" before the voters, it will become public over the course of the next six months. The effort to place Measure "R" for repeal on the June primary ballot began in November of 2021 with the drafting of the proposal and submission for review by County Council. After an exceptionally long period of review it was returned as acceptable despite all the mumbling about the misrepresentation in the wording. The intended purpose of the repeal was to eliminate the County's ability to collect a 1% sales tax on purchases within the County for the sole intent of bolstering the ability to pay for "vital" improvements to material situations lacking in County Departments, repair roads, and to fix derelict County infrastructure. It was never intended to expand the County's workforce, nor pay for salaries, benefits, or raises. The County's representatives were made aware of this effort in January of 2022, signatures were collected and submitted to the County's Clerk. After yet an additional delay the number of signatures required was reached and the repeal was placed in the hands of the Board Of Supervisors who promptly instituted yet another delay allowing them to push the repeal back to November instead of the anticipated June ballot by requesting a thirty day period to allow for a Board review of the consequences to the County of the repeal of Measure "R". After placing the repeal measure on the ballot for November, the County's Council, who must be reminded had seen the proposed wording four months previously, now concluded that it did not "have" the proper wording to repeal the County's ability to continue to collect the 1% sales tax due to the fact that it did not address the County's ordinance approving the collection of the sales tax. How Clever. Unfortunately for County Council, and the Board, this will not prevent a second measure to repeal the tax. It has simply given repeal supporters more ammunition from the County to show clearly how County government is not a purveyor of "vital" services, but an obstruction to the benefit promised by proper government to the public. In the coming months it will become painfully clear to even those that voted for this measure that they were hoodwinked into believing this measure would be a "proactive" effort by the County to provide "vital" services by expanding government to the detriment of local wallets. This effort is not about Measure "R" becoming one with the County's General Fund, although it might as well be. It is about the deceit with which the County "sold" the measure to the public as to its "vital" purposes, claimed the protection of a Citizen's Advisory Committee which has been found to be toothless, and allowed the passage of the measure by the narrowest of margins. This was something that would not have been successful had the County been honest about its intentions and openly admitted that it was intended for the specific purpose of expanding County Government to provide services that in their eyes were not being met. At that point it would have been necessary to elevate the threshold to 55% which the County did not meet. The assurance of a COC to "protect" the public is a device now being employed by various governing boards throughout California to pass measures of questionable merit and is regularly abused by the governing power once passed. It has elicited several repeals recently when measures proposed promised one thing and failed to deliver. This is precisely what Measure "R" has become in this County. Since the tax was collected in April of 2021 it has generated approximately $1.8 million taken for the most part from local pockets. The remaining comes from tourists and pass through traffic that the additional tax has prevented it from being spent as real income to local businesses rather than flowing directly to government as a result of Measure "R". Those that work in County government and do not make a six figure salary have also contributed to this County theft from your wallets and likely makes any improvement in your financial situation moot at this point. County bureaucrats and your Union will tell you Measure "R" repeal will affect your paycheck and possibly even your employment which unless your recent MOU accounted for and was approved by Union membership, the effect of Measure "R" repeal will not affect County employees in any measurable way. The County is obligated to pay all increases in pay according to contract. Just another form of the County's continuing effort to deceive the public and its workforce. This pattern is an ongoing problem with the current occupants in public office in Del Norte County and extends to those hired by the County's representatives to conduct the County's business. It seems to have long ago forgotten the concept of government for the people, by the people, and of the people. Limited government and a responsible, independent citizenry who solve their respective problems in a manner which benefits them and does not require a nanny state to do it for them.