Measure Z Seeks To Create Special Public Safety Fund In Canyon Lake

Voters in Canyon Lake this Election Day will decide whether or not the city should create and fund through taxes a new Public Safety Fund that will be used to pay for public safety services such as police, fire, paramedic and 911 response.

“Although not as common as development related initiatives, citizen-initiated tax measures have become more common over the last 10 years,” Rollin Bush, campaign consultant, said in an email to The Riverside Record. “Canyon Lake is a very engaged, tight knit community. When a problem arises they tend to take care of it themselves.”

If approved by a majority of voters, the citizen-initiated Measure Z will:

• Place a new 6% sales tax on the purchase of retail cannabis products sold in Canyon Lake, with an option for the city to increase the tax up to 8% without having to go back to the voters; 
• Add a 0.75% sales tax to the city’s existing rate, bringing it up to 8.5%; and
• Require the city to place all money collected from the existing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Subscription Program and the Water and Sewer Utility User Tax into the new fund.

According to the impartial analysis prepared by City Attorney Steven Graham Pacifico included in the Riverside County voter information guide, the measure would generate approximately $855,000 in annual local funding that can only be used by the city for public safety services.

Bush said the group behind Measure Z consists of local community leaders and businesses that decided to take action after the city identified concerns with its static revenue and inflation-related cost increases.

“Other than making city officials aware of our measure, we have not engaged the city for help on the initiative process,” Bush said. “In order for the measure to qualify as citizen-initiated, city officials cannot be involved in the campaign.”

According to the website set up to support the effort, the average response time for 911 calls in Canyon Lake is more than half an hour and the fire department is unable to respond to more than one emergency at a time without outside assistance, both of which supporters of the measure said could be addressed with Measure Z.

There was no official argument submitted against Measure Z, with the argument in favor signed by Chris Wilkeson, a 36-year resident of the city and a retired fire captain; Lauren Hambright, a 5-year resident and teacher; Stan Gonzalez, a 31-year resident and PGA regional manager; Rich Moline, a 34-year resident and business owner; and Brennain Gorter, president of the Canyon Lake Firefighters Association.

“If Canyon Lake voters value the public safety services provided by the city, they should vote yes on Measure Z,” Bush said.

Those who have not yet cast their vote have three options to do so. They can drop off their signed vote-by-mail ballot at a secure ballot drop box, vote in person at a vote center, or mail their signed vote-by-mail ballot through the United States Postal Service.