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Yes on PP, now!
Everyone agrees that the sales tax measure is probably the best solution to correct Pleasanton’s budget deficit, even the opposition to Measure PP and the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce.
Measure PP, the half-cent, 10-year sales tax on this November’s ballot is that measure. In their statement released Oct. 2, the Chamber board endorsed a “NO for now” position on Measure PP while also acknowledging it is needed and “it may end up that the sales tax measure is the best solution.”
By taking a “NO for now” stance on Measure PP, the Chamber of Commerce is joining other opponents to torpedo the solution to the city’s deficit in an effort to boost their preferred outcomes for the upcoming city elections.
Pleasanton voters see that the Chamber of Commerce’s position on Measure PP kicks the can down the road.
Any delay in delivering a solution to Pleasanton’s budget deficit hurts the community, our public safety and shakes confidence in the business community. Please vote yes on Measure PP!
— Matthew Gray, committee chair, Protect Pleasanton’s Future Supporting Measure PP 2024
We are not an ATM
The citizens of Pleasanton are not an ATM for our city!
The Weekly’s recent article “Paying for Pleasanton” regurgitates a tired list of excuses for the city’s budget shortfall. I find it appalling that the city had no contingency plan for a possible loss of hotel tax revenue. The delays in the Costco development are similarly cited.
These are not the root causes. No, the city’s budget woes are the result of myopic fiscal management and a complete lack of dynamic proactive action. The city’s lack of planning is not the citizens’ emergency.
— Harry Edwards
No trust in city
Residents don’t trust city leaders. The Sept. 17 council meeting only made things worse.
At the meeting, the city manager presented a slide from the State Auditor’s Office that was both deceptive and out of date. The 2021 slide indicated Pleasanton was “high risk” in terms of its financial health. Like many, including the mayor herself, we were shocked.
While these rankings were discontinued, we learned that the methodology left out general fund monies allocated to other funds, including the Section 115 Pension Trust Fund and capital improvement program reserves, meaning the city’s financial position was greatly understated.
On top of that, the data was three years old. Why would staff, without any challenge from the council, present these findings as absolute facts? Is it to further promote a sales tax increase?
Pleasanton voters are at the precipice of being asked to approve a tax increase. Why should residents believe city leaders deserve a blank check when they can’t even present us with current and accurate financial information? Why will the fiscal year 2023-24 actual general fund revenues and expenses only be available after the election?
We’re legally entitled to know how much the city had in FY 23-24, which ended in June. We are repeatedly told by city leaders that our current needs require more funding but aren’t allowed to know the actual state of our finances. Show us the FY 23-24 actual general fund revenues and expenses before the election so we can make an informed decision.
— Doug Miller, committee chair, NO on Measure PP
Cover downtown vacancies
I read with concerned interest the Sept. 27 “Paying for Pleasanton” cover story, and I feel frustration over one large missing piece to this budget puzzle: downtown vacancies. When shops and restaurants sit empty for years on end, how does that affect our budget shortfall?
How is it possible that the former Café Main sits empty for over five years? How is it plausible that the Angela Square landlord can be OK with charging rents so high that tenants move out? How has this become so out of whack?
Apart from the obvious loss in revenue, it just looks bad.
I do not feel civic pride when I walk past shuttered stores and restaurants and wonder what financial calculus is at work whereby it makes more sense for that building to not have a tenant.
Pleasanton residents would benefit from a better understanding of this dynamic, and it is time for the Weekly to conduct a thorough investigation into what I consider to be the most concerning trend of our city. Downtown vacancies are bad for everyone.
— Rick Altman
Homeowners insurance
Feeling pretty good; you’ve just been able to purchase a home in the extremely tight California housing market. Unfortunately, your “joy” may be short-lived; purchasing homeowners insurance is nearing crisis stage in this state.
In my “10 home” court in Pleasanton, three homes, including mine, have had their insurance listed as “not renewed”.
I’ve been insured by Liberty Mutual for 30 years, never having filed a claim and always prompt with premium payments. My “will not renew” notice indicated proximity to trees as the reason. The fact that the HOA maintains the trees in this development matters not.
At one time, you paid premiums to an insurance company in order to share the possible risk to your home. Now, the insurance companies left doing homeowner’s business, like the premiums but not the risk.
Think that the California Fair Plan is the answer; it is not fair relative to cost/coverage. The state of California is in dire need of leadership, not just to address this problem, but many others as well. Until then, keep your eye on your next homeowners insurance policy notice.
— Mitch Fidziura
Smash hit: Pleasanton's first rage room, splatter paint destination now openFebruary 8, 2026 1:17 pm