As the proposed parcel tax to beef up the Oakland Police Department was soundly defeated, the Trib carries two delightfully delusional takes on the matter. First up: Chamber of Commerce public policy director and cop tax booster Scott Peterson, who declared that the 55 percent of voters who said yes “sends a signal that Oakland is ready for investment that will help grow the economy and create jobs and create the revenue that Oakland needs badly.” Um, Scott, you are aware the measure failed badly, right? Next up: local busybody Charles Pine, who has called on Oakland to boost police personnel to more than 1,000 officers but refused to support the tax. Voters rejected the measure, Pine says, because they were frustrated that Measure Y, the previous funding measure approved by the voters, took so long to be implemented. “This is a sign of the growing disappointment of Oakland voters, but also of their growing political insight,” he said. Really, Charles? Voters pay that much attention to the ins and outs of police hiring practices? We think not.
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