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Because the city of Redwood City is projecting multi-year operating deficits, it is considering a new city property transfer tax on the purchase and sale of property. What is particularly troubling, however, is that the city is using taxpayer money to conduct “push polling” on this tax, which the city claims is a resident survey.
What is “push polling”?
According to Cornell University’s Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, a push poll is not a poll, nor is it intended to gather information from respondents. Instead, it pushes information to them. Push polls use biased language and leading questions to convince respondents to vote for – or against – a candidate or referendum.
That is precisely what the City of Redwood City is doing.
Recently, the City of Redwood City executed nine consulting contracts costing more than $1 million in pursuit of new taxes, fees and utility rate increases. Included in this bold use of taxpayer money is a carefully crafted “survey” (push poll) by consultants who are contacting hundreds of city residents.
One of the questions posed to residents is:
“Shall the measure to preserve essential city services, such as maintaining 911 emergency response times, the number of on-duty firefighters/paramedics/police officers, children’s after school/recreation programs, senior programs, and local library hours/programs by approving a local City of Redwood City real property transfer tax at 1% of sales price, for general government use, as described in the ordinance, providing approximately $20 million annually, until ended by voters, be adopted?”
This question is textbook push polling. They are selling/supporting the tax in this “survey” by suggesting that a new transfer tax will help with the specific critical services listed (911 response times, more police officers etc.), all under the guise of asking a question. The survey leaves the impression to the respondents that there is a direct connection between passing the tax and the provision of the essential services listed. It is repeated multiple times.
Of course, a transfer tax would be remitted to the general fund and can be used for any purpose the city wants.
Do you think it is a coincidence they cite the most popular programs? You’ll note they didn’t say in the above survey question, “such as paying down over $300 million in unfunded pension liabilities, paying for higher administrator salaries, and more and improved parking enforcement.” This is tainting the pool.
In November 2018, Redwood City voters approved a sales tax increase with Measure RR (“City of Redwood City Essential Services Protection Measure”). This 2018 sales tax promises to maintain the same essential services as those listed in the above survey question. Should we trust them this time?
Recently, the City has given more raises to top brass, authorized $1 million in luxury office furniture, attended a posh weekend wine retreat in Sonoma, announced several new hires making over $240k+ base salary, and, of course, continued its significant spending on consultants.
And despite dozens of residents recently asking the City Council to focus on cost reduction programs, silence on that topic is deafening.
But now we are to believe we need yet another tax to fund the same essential services as Measure RR was promised to address.
And there is plenty more push polling in the survey. They are telling survey respondents the City will have $20M! in proceeds (with a transfer tax) to fix what ails the City. You’ll note they didn’t ask what respondents thought about getting taxed $20,000 when they sell their house – the reality of such a transfer tax.
California Government Code 54964 says it is unlawful for a local agency to expend funds in support of a ballot measure. Is using taxpayer money to push polling in compliance with this state statute?
There is plenty more in the consultant’s survey, including, but not limited to, subsequent questions designed to formulate which impacts or service cuts are of most importance to residents so that they may be threatened in the all-important 75-word ballot question. The ballot question is all that voters read as they vote.
Lew Edwards Group (the consultant who spearheaded this survey) includes “corroborating” on the ballot question in its scope and boasts in its proposal about passing 95% of its clients’ ballot initiatives.
Does this violate California Election Code 13119, which requires the ballot question to be “true, impartial, not argumentative nor likely to create prejudice for nor against the measure”?
Civil Grand Juries from Santa Clara County, Alameda County and Santa Cruz County have all ruled on this problematic issue with the ballot. San Mateo County local ballot measures are passing at a 95% rate vs. the state average of 78%. Citizens believe the ballots they receive in the mail are of integrity and separate from those of the political mailers. This should be ensured.
When local agencies inappropriately use our taxpayer money to convince us to vote for a tax increases, we should send a clear message and just vote “no”.
Christopher Robell, a Redwood City resident and retired CFO, can be reached at chris_robell@yahoo.com
‘Theft by the state’: San Mateo County leaders warn of cuts without funding fixAugust 13, 2026 6:24 pm
Members of city councils, boards of supervisors and state legislators need to understand that responsible and sound governance requires elected officials to approve budgets within their financial resources and not create financial resources to justify their budgets. I will be reminding our city council of this principle when I comment on the proposed taxes.