The Constitution of the United States of America
The First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The right to petition for redress of grievances is rooted in the Magna Carta of June 15, 1215.
The California initiative process is an extension of that right.
Our Constitution, including all of its sections, was put in place to protect us from government overreach, abuse, and other threats to our liberties and must not be allowed to be diminished or perverted by any entity.
Yet the Oxnard City Council has set out to do just that--violate our Constitutional rights. Their rational, of course, is that the city needs money, but there is no exemption written into the First Amendment, no exemption, whatsoever.
In January, 2016, the Oxnard City Council, in open session, voted four to one for a massive wastewater rate increase that sparked a huge protest and an initiative drive to repeal this offending ordinance.(MacDonald was the dissenting vote.)
The protest elicited a quick and underhanded response from the City Council. Behind closed doors, in a secret vote, they launched a lawsuit to block the initiative and refused to issue the necessary paper work needed for the signatures to be gathered
Even after Superior Court Judge Rocky Bain ordered the city to issue the necessary paper work, the City delayed and delayed until they apparently thought that there was not enough time left to gather the required number of signatures.
Well surprise, surprise, in just 16 days, the opponents of the rate increase gathered an astounding 3,958 signatures, almost twice the number needed to place the initiative on the November ballot.
Still fighting, the city tried to delay the certification of the initiative until it was too late to place it on the November ballot.
After threats of lawsuits and public opinion, they relented. But it's not over yet . Should the voters pass the initiative, the city plans to challenge that vote in court and overturn the will of the people
These same Council members took an oath of office when sworn in, to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
Whatever your position is on the rate increase, it is overshadowed by the violation of the Constitution and our civil rights.
Here is a quick look at the sewer rate increase: 35% in March this year and 10% in 2017; 8 % in 2018;
8 % in 2019; 8 % in 2020 for a total of 69%. But wait. If you calculate the compounding (yes it compounds itself), the true rate increase is an astounding 87%, Also note that written into the City ordinance is an automatic rate increase for such items as inflation, energy costs, and third party costs.
Separating the wheat from the chaff.
Our Constitution, including all of its sections, was put in place to protect us from government overreach, abuse, and other threats to our liberties and must not be allowed to be diminished or perverted by any entity.
Yet the Oxnard City Council has set out to do just that--violate our Constitutional rights. Their rational, of course, is that the city needs money, but there is no exemption written into the First Amendment, no exemption, whatsoever.
Background
In January, 2016, the Oxnard City Council, in open session, voted four to one for a massive wastewater rate increase that sparked a huge protest and an initiative drive to repeal this offending ordinance.(MacDonald was the dissenting vote.)
The protest elicited a quick and underhanded response from the City Council. Behind closed doors, in a secret vote, they launched a lawsuit to block the initiative and refused to issue the necessary paper work needed for the signatures to be gathered
Even after Superior Court Judge Rocky Bain ordered the city to issue the necessary paper work, the City delayed and delayed until they apparently thought that there was not enough time left to gather the required number of signatures.
Well surprise, surprise, in just 16 days, the opponents of the rate increase gathered an astounding 3,958 signatures, almost twice the number needed to place the initiative on the November ballot.
Still fighting, the city tried to delay the certification of the initiative until it was too late to place it on the November ballot.
After threats of lawsuits and public opinion, they relented. But it's not over yet . Should the voters pass the initiative, the city plans to challenge that vote in court and overturn the will of the people
These same Council members took an oath of office when sworn in, to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
Whatever your position is on the rate increase, it is overshadowed by the violation of the Constitution and our civil rights.
Here is a quick look at the sewer rate increase: 35% in March this year and 10% in 2017; 8 % in 2018;
8 % in 2019; 8 % in 2020 for a total of 69%. But wait. If you calculate the compounding (yes it compounds itself), the true rate increase is an astounding 87%, Also note that written into the City ordinance is an automatic rate increase for such items as inflation, energy costs, and third party costs.
Separating the wheat from the chaff.
