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To the editor:
Santa Cruz voters became rightfully suspicious of city-proposed ballot measures after Measure S, which we voted on to support our city and county library needs for remodeling and upgrading. S was then turned into the “surprise” measure when the city announced its long-desired new parking garage would become attached to it.
That “surprise” came months after we had voted. Voters had trusted the ballot language that had not mentioned a garage component ever.
The next city-sponsored Measure S was the failed sales tax proposal a few years ago. We saw the same result with Measure F, the more recent sales tax measure.
Trust in the city’s representations has been eroded. Voters wondered if the city would also find a way to change the facts yet again, after the vote.
Citizen initiative is an important part of a democracy to me and many other voters, no matter what letter is chosen.
Shelley Hatch
Santa Cruz