AVISO A LOS VOTANTES. Sample Ballot And Information For Measure Z2015 Carpinteria Summerland Fire/ Emergency Service Facilities Improvement Measure

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1 Sample Ballot And Information For Measure Z2015 Carpinteria Summerland Fire/ Emergency Service Facilities Improvement Measure CARPINTERIA-SUMMERLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT SPECIAL MAIL BALLOT ELECTION MAY 5, 2015 THE ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF OR IN OPPOSITION TO THE MEASURE ARE THE OPINIONS OF THE AUTHORS. QUESTIONS REGARDING VOTING? CALL OR SBC-VOTE ( ) OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: SBCVOTE.COM AVISO A LOS VOTANTES Si usted está interesado en recibir información en español relacionada con el voto, llame con confianza a la Oficina Electoral del Condado. Todo es gratis. Para pedir información electoral en español llame al (805) o al SBC VOTE y se le mandará todo en español. IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS BY COUNTY COUNSEL Measure Z was placed on the ballot by the governing board of the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District. Article XIII A, Section 1(a) of the California Constitution limits the ad valorem tax on real property to not exceed one percent (1%) of the full cash value of such property. Article XIII A, Section 1(b) of the California Constitution provides an exception to this limitation for bonded indebtedness incurred for the acquisition or improvement of real property approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast by the voters voting on the proposition. This Measure, if approved, would authorize the Carpinteria- Summerland Fire Protection District to authorize the sale of general obligation bonds in a principal amount not to exceed $10,650,000. The Measure says that bond funds could be used for fire protection facilities/sites/emergency equipment and further states that: Bond Priority Project #1 is to [r]ebuild or construct earthquake safe fire stations in Summerland and Carpinteria; and Bond Priority Project #2 is to [a]cquire necessary equipment needed to save lives in a medical emergency. California Constitution Article XIII A, however, limits the use of these bond funds to the acquisition or improvement of real property, including only that equipment affixed to land or to a building. Proceeds from the sale of the bonds may not be used for administrator salaries or other operating expenses. The bonds and interest thereon would be payable from property taxes levied on taxable property in the District. These taxes would be in addition to the property taxes currently levied on taxpayers in the District. The interest rate on the bonds could not exceed the statutory limit of 12% per annum. The amount of the increased taxes each year would depend upon the amount needed to pay the principal and interest on the bonds. The period for full repayment of the bonds may not exceed 30 years. Measure Z does not propose to amend or add to existing law. /s/michael C. Ghizzoni, County Counsel

2 TAX RATE STATEMENT TAX RATE STATEMENT REGARDING PROPOSED $10,650,000 CARPINTERIA-SUMMERLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS An election will be held in the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District (the District ) on May 5, 2015, to authorize the sale of up to $10,650,000 in bonds of the District to finance projects as described in the measure. If such bonds are authorized and sold, principal and interest on the bonds will be payable only from the proceeds of tax levies made upon the taxable property in the District. The following information is provided in compliance with Sections of the Elections Code of the State of California. Such information is based upon the best estimates and projections presently available from official sources, upon experience within the District, and other demonstrable factors. Based upon the foregoing and projections of the District s assessed valuation, the following information is provided: a. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, based on a projection of assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $ per $100 of assessed valuation (or nine dollars and eighty cents per hundred thousand dollars of assessed value) for fiscal year b. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds, based on a projection of assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $ per $100 of assessed valuation (or nine dollars and eighty cents per hundred thousand dollars of assessed value) for fiscal year c. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue, based on a projection of assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $ per $100 of assessed valuation (or nine dollars and eighty cents per hundred thousand dollars of assessed value), which is projected to be the same in every fiscal year that the bonds remain outstanding. d. The best estimate of the total debt service, including principal and interest, that would be required to be repaid if all the bonds are issued and sold is twenty million, one hundred eighty seven thousand, seven hundred fifty dollars. In addition, taxpayers eligible for a property tax exemption, such as the homeowner s exemption, will be taxed at a lower effective tax rate than described above. Property owners should consult their own property tax bills and tax advisors to determine their property s assessed value and any applicable tax exemptions. The attention of all voters is directed to the fact that the foregoing information is based upon projections and estimates only, which are not binding upon the District. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated, due to variations from these estimates in the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold and market interest rates at the time of each sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The date of sale and the amount of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the District based on the need for project funds and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of sale. Actual future assessed valuations will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the District as determined by the Santa Barbara County Assessor in the annual assessment and the equalization process. /s/ Michael Mingee Fire Chief, Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District Voters should note the estimated tax rate is based on the ASSESSED VALUE of taxable property on Santa Barbara County s official tax rolls, not on the property s market value.

3 ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF The strength of any community lies in the support infrastructure it provides in times of need. The Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District needs your support right now to fund facilities and equipment improvements that have been neglected for years. Numerous official documents, including a 2001 Grand Jury report, have identified the fire stations of CSFPD to be among the least safe and incapable of surviving a significant natural disaster. Station 2 in Summerland is nearly 100 years old, while Station 1 in Carpinteria is 53 years old. Both are beyond the typical 50-year lifespan, and neither has been deemed seismically sound. When a disaster occurs, first responders must mobilize quickly to perform their jobs. If the station that houses these responders is one of the first buildings to collapse, how can we expect to get the response we urgently need? In addition to improving the buildings themselves, a Yes vote on Measure Z allows the District to build training apparatus at Station 1. This will guarantee that emergency personnel can receive critical skills training within our area instead of traveling outside the District. Since over 70% of emergency calls are medical, non-fire events, keeping our first responders local helps ensure that we maintain our six-minute critical response time. Your Yes vote will provide the funding to upgrade our buildings, facilities and equipment and secure the assurance of a quality, prompt response from our firefighters. Passage of Measure Z means a $9.85 tax for each $100,000 of assessed property value, with none of the bond fund proceeds going towards personnel or administrative costs. Please join me to Support Area Vital Emergency Services with a Yes vote on Measure Z. The undersigned authors of the primary argument in favor of Ballot Measure Z2015 for the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District Special Mailed Ballot Election to be held on May 5, 2015, hereby state that such argument is true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief. /s/ Richard Weinberg, Former Mayor & City Councilman /s/ Craig Price, Attorney, Former CSFPD Board Member /s/ Suzanne Perkins, Summerland Resident /s/ Louis J. Panizzon, Retired Educator/ Former CSFPD Board Member /s/ Sally D. Green, Retired Education Administration REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF This $10.65 million bond measure will NOT improve response times, buy lifesaving equipment, or increase fire protection. Contrary to claims by proponents, as confirmed by County Counsel in the Impartial Analysis, funds may not be used to purchase equipment. The proponents of Measure Z are using scare tactics to persuade taxpayers by suggesting that in the event of a major earthquake the existing fire stations will collapse upon the first responders. The Grand Jury Report they cite, is actually titled Emergency Power, and says nothing about seismic safety or the ability of CSFPD facilities being unable to survive a natural disaster. In fact it found no deficiency with the Carpinteria station. However, two other Grand Jury reports issued that same year called into question the financial management of the District, and urged ways to cut overhead and redundancy in administrative staff. This would result in cost-savings and free up monies to be used to enhance life-saving services, not just capital improvements as limited by Measure Z2015. We understand that significant district funds have been spent on the design of a new station in Summerland, however why should we spend millions more than necessary on a building that is larger than necessary? Voters recently elected new CSFPD Board Members. They should have the opportunity to review all the options for appropriately sized and located stations, and should study all the options to actually improve fire and medical emergency response throughout the district. Please join us in voting No on Measure Z2015. The undersigned authors of the rebuttal to the argument in favor of Ballot Measure Z2015 for the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District Special Mailed Ballot Election to be held on May 5, 2015, hereby state that such argument is true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief. /s/ Elida Cervantes Mata, Resident Sand Piper Mobile Homes /s/ Betty M. Brown, Padaro Lane Association Member /s/ Lucita B. Hromadka, Padaro Assn. Member /s/ Robert M. Ornstein, Esq. /s/ Mitchell Morehart, Padaro Property Owner, Padaro Assn. Member, Village Properties

4 ARGUMENT AGAINST This $10.65 million bond measure will not improve response times or increase fire protection. We all want to maintain prompt response times for fires and medical emergencies, have well equipped fire fighters, and earthquake safe fire stations. However, this bond measure is too costly and there are still too many unanswered questions about future plans. The proposed $4.8 million new station in Summerland is one block away from the existing station. This will not change response times. The proposed station is much larger than necessary, including a training and community center meeting room. News reports say it will house 8 on-duty firefighters. There are currently 3 or 4 firefighters stationed in Summerland, and no plans for funds to hire more firefighters. Are they planning to move firefighters from Carpinteria? A smaller station in Summerland would be more appropriate and less costly. Officials claim the bond will give them an additional $5 million to repair the Carpinteria station, which services the majority of district residents. However there is no existing plan or reliable cost estimate for this work, or requirement that the funds be spent on the Carpinteria station. Last February, the Ad Hoc Citizen's Advisory Committee recommended that the scope of the Carpinteria Fire Station remodel be better defined for the voters. This has still not been done. We support our fire service, but if you vote yes, you are authorizing the district to sell bonds at"legal rates" of up to 12% per annum for 30 years. Please join us in voting No on Measure Z2015, until the projects are fully defined and correctly sized for our community's needs now and in the future. The undersigned authors of the primary argument against Ballot Measure Z2015 for the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District Special Mailed Ballot Election to be held on May 5, 2015, hereby state that such argument is true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief. /s/ Lucita B. Hromadka /s/ Betty M. Brown /s/ Elida Cerv Mata /s/ Robert M. Ornstein, Esq. /s/ Mitch Morehart REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST Originally built in 1925, the Summerland Fire Station was designed to house a horse driven water cart. Should this seismically unsafe building collapse during a disaster, trapping emergency personnel inside, response times will certainly be affected. This is not a risk most are willing to take given the age and status of our two fire stations. Earthquake-safe stations require careful planning and funding. The District has spent over five years studying the issues, defining the needs and with the overwhelming approval of a citizens committee, arrived at the plan before you now. The stations are in dire need of attention now. This plan is designed to fulfill the response requirements for 50 years, including a multi-purpose emergency operations center. Additional apparatus space allows the district to house a wildland fire truck and a medical emergency response vehicle in Summerland as well as Carpinteria, ensuring a timely response. A smaller station does not allow this level of service. Approved conceptual drawings showing the improvements to the Carpinteria station are available for public viewing, and cost estimates are within the scope of the bond. This second phase, not likely to begin until 2019, will receive the same meticulous planning and community involvement that we have seen with the Summerland station. Current interest rates make this an ideal time to finance future improvements with the least expense to the taxpayer. The choice is yours hope our stations remain standing or vote Yes on Measure Z to ensure they do. The undersigned authors of the rebuttal to the argument against Ballot Measure Z2015 for the Carpinteria- Summerland Fire Protection District Special Mailed Ballot Election to be held on May 5, 2015, hereby state that such argument is true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief. /s/ Ben Miller, Former President-CSFPD Board /s/ Lisa Guravitz, Former CSFPD Board Member /s/ Wickson Reeve Woolpert, CSFPD Ad-Hoc Committee Member /s/ Mary Jo Yaeger, Pres. Summerland Citizens Association /s/ Terry Hickey Banks, CUSD Trustee

5 FULL TEXT OF The following is the full proposition presented to the voters by the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District. "CARPINTERIA-SUMMERLAND FIRE/ EMERGENCY SERVICE FACILITIES IMPROVEMENT MEASURE. To improve local fire stations, provide prompt response times to medical emergencies, maintain high quality local fire protection/prevention services, acquire, construct, upgrade, rebuild, repair/equip lifesaving fire protection facilities/sites/emergency equipment, make Carpinteria and Summerland fire stations earthquake safe, shall Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District issue $10,650,000 in bonds at legal rates, with citizens' oversight, annual audits, no money for administrators' salaries, and all money staying local?" The Governing Board of the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District has evaluated its ability to deliver prompt, lifesaving emergency medical and fire protection throughout the Carpinteria-Summerland area. This evaluation is contained in the District's Fire Protection Master Plan , incorporated herein, which reflects the input of community members, local business leaders and the firefighters who serve our community. In identifying the facility needs of the District, the Governing Board makes five important determinations regarding its maintenance of high quality local fire protection and prevention services. The District must: (i) Provide prompt response times to medical emergencies; (ii) Upgrade, acquire and repair life-saving fire protection and emergency equipment; (iii) Provide earthquake safe fire stations; (iv) Improve workplace safety for our local firefighters; and (v) Ensure that the fire stations have enough space to house the number of firefighters to make our communities safe. BOND PRIORITY PROJECTS 1. Rebuild or construct earthquake safe fire stations in Summerland and Carpinteria which stations would: 2. Acquire necessary equipment needed to save lives in a medical emergency. The project costs include architectural, engineering, and similar planning costs, and a customary contingency for unforeseen design and construction costs. The final cost of the projects will be determined as plans are finalized, construction bids are awarded and the project are completed. The project may include the demolition of some existing facilities or the lease-purchase of facilities and equipment. Necessary site preparation/restoration may occur in connection with new construction, including ingress and egress, removing, replacing, or installing irrigation, utility lines, trees and landscaping, relocating fire access, and acquiring any necessary easements, licenses, or rights of way to the property. Bond proceeds shall only be expended for the specific purposes identified herein. FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY THE GOVERNING BOARD WILL APPOINT A CITIZENS' OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND CONDUCT ANNUAL INDEPENDENT AUDITS TO ASSURE THAT FUNDS ARE SPENT ONLY ON FIRE STATION IMPROVEMENTS AND EQUIPMENT AND FOR NO OTHER PURPOSE. THE EXPENDITURE OF BOND MONEY ON THESE PROJECTS ARE SUBJECT TO STRINGENT FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIREMENTS. A FINANCIAL AUDIT WILL BE PERFORMED ANNUALLY, AND ALL BOND EXPENDITURES WILL BE MONITORED BY AN INDEPENDENT CITIZENS' OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO ENSURE THAT FUNDS ARE SPENT AS PROMISED AND SPECIFIED. NO ADMINISTRATOR SALARIES BOND MONEY SHALL BE USED ONLY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE STATIONS AND THE ACQUISITION OF EQUIPMENT, AS DESCRIBED, AND NOT FOR ADMINISTRATOR SALARIES AND OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Ensure quick response times to calls for fires and medical emergencies; Improve workplace safety for local firefighters; Expand and improve training space for firefighters; Accommodate enough firefighters response apparatus to make communities safe; and Provide a multi-purpose emergency operations room.

6 SAMPLE BALLOT 1) DO NOT USE FELT TIP PEN or RED INK. Mark your ballot using a dark ballpoint pen. 2) Vote your choice by completely filling in the oval corresponding to your preferred choice. DO NOT mark the oval with an X. Options if you Make a Mistake: 1) You may bring your mismarked ballot to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office at 4440-A Calle R e a l for another ballot during normal office hours 8 am to 5 pm, Monday Friday, except holidays. 2) If you are unable to come into our office you may request a replacement ballot be sent to you by inserting your ballot in the enclosed return envelope and by placing an X in the box in the lower right hand corner under the question, Have you spoiled your ballot and need a replacement? or by calling (800) ) You may correct your mistake by making a distinct X through the mismarked oval, mark your preferred choice and print or write legibly Yes next to the measure choice. Please do not sign or initial the correction. THE EXAMPLE BELOW SHOWS HOW A VOTER CORRECTED HIS OR HER VOTE. BALLOT QUESTION Do you favor a National Lottery administered by the Federal Government? X YES NO Yes