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From YouTube: Measure T: A Special Report (September 1990)
Description
From 1990: This Cupertino City Channel Special Report provides an in-depth look at Measure T, an open space and recreation funding initiative that appeared on the November 1990 ballot. Measure T imposed a 25-year, 2.4 percent utility tax on gas, electric, and telephone bills to help fund the City's purchase of the Blackberry Farm and Fremont Older School properties.
This video segment originally aired as part of the City Channel's monthly news magazine series, "City Beat."
This video is one in a series of programs presented as part of the City of Cupertino's digital video archive project.
A
Development
in
Cupertino
is
big
business
at
more
than
a
million
dollars
per
acre
developers
have
been
very
successful
during
the
past
few
years,
with
several
major
commercial
and
residential
projects
in
1988,
the
historic
cally
mill,
one
of
the
last
remaining
landmarks
of
old
Cupertino,
was
leveled
to
make
way
for
the
modern
style
Prometheus
city
center
complex
that
same
year,
the
Gregory
group
was
finishing.
Construction
on
the
400
unit,
seven
springs
development,
the
largest
single
project
of
its
kind
in
Cupertino
history.
A
The
land
was
once
an
apricot
orchard
and
plans
are
still
on
the
drawing
board
for
yet
several
other
projects,
including
a
250
room,
Double
Tree
Hotel.
Many
feel
all
this
development
is
happening
much
too
quickly
and
on
too
large
of
a
scale
open
space
areas
are
being
gobbled
up
as
soon
as
they
are
becoming
available
to
developers.
Traffic
and
population
are
also
on
the
rise
in
response
to
the
concerns
of
its
citizens.
A
B
A
Cupertino
citizens
do
feel
that
way
in
a
recent
survey,
75%
of
all
residents
indicated
that
preserving
existing
parks
and
open
space
was
among
the
top
community
concerns
guided
by
public
opinion.
The
council's
crusade
for
preserving
open
space
and
recreational
areas
culminated
last
year
in
the
purchase
of
the
6.2
acre
Cupertino
Sports
Center,
the
former
DeAnza
racquet
club.
The
purchase
was
made
to
protect
the
property
from
plans
for
future
commercial
development.
A
C
A
Perhaps
the
city's
biggest
challenge
in
the
open
space
debate
came
just
a
few
months
ago,
when
the
Cupertino
union
school
district
announced
it
would
be
closing
as
Fremont
older
Elementary
School
on
Miller
Avenue.
In
order
to
construct
a
state-of-the-art
facility
at
the
sedgwick
school
site,
the
several
acres
of
sports
playing
fields
at
Fremont
older
would
become
fair
gay
for
development.
If
the
city
couldn't
come
up
with
some
way
to
meet
the
ten
point,
nine
million
dollar
price
tag
I.
D
Think
for
Fremont
old
or
what
we're
looking
at
is
is
really
providing
more
youth
sports
facilities
so
that
we
can,
you
know,
have
a
really
you
know
much
better
sports
playing
field
capability
for
the
kids
in
our
community.
One
of
the
problems
we
have
in
sports
fields,
if
you
go
out
and
look
at
them-
is
that
they're
very
they're
not
well
maintained
and
they're
pretty
heavily
used,
and
if
you
don't
have
some
surplus
sites
so
that
you
can
rotate,
you
basically
beat
them
into
the
ground
and
they're,
basically
unplayable
and.
A
As
the
city
was
busily
studying
its
options
in
the
Fremont
older
closure,
the
Nelson
family
and
now
said
it
was
putting
up
for
sale,
blackberry
farm,
the
largest
remaining
recreational
and
historical
site
in
the
community.
The
32
acres
of
land
at
blackberry
has
been
a
Cupertino
tradition
for
more
than
35
years
noted
throughout
the
Bay
Area
for
its
picnic
areas.
It's
swimming
pools
and
its
Golf
Course.
When.
E
My
father
and
uncles
purchased
this
place
in
53,
the
biggest
percentage
of
it
was
orchards.
We
were
farmers
and
cats
and
apricots
and
a
few
pears
and
we've
increased
the
picnic
ground
just
gradually.
The
biggest
single
increase
was
in
64
when
we
built,
of
course,
and
then
we
wiped
out
about
17
acres
of
orchard
right
then,
because
one
year
the
price
was
so
low
that
we
couldn't
pick
in
the
next
year.
The
wild
pigeons
wiped
us
out.
So
you
know
so
that's
what
we
decided.
A
Blackberry
farm
was
transformed
from
a
full
orchard
to
the
highly
successful
recreation
area
that
it
is
today.
Much
of
the
land,
especially
the
picnic
grounds,
has
remained
unchanged
during
that
35
year
period.
It
is
really
for
sentimental
reasons,
therefore,
that
the
Nelsons
first
approached
the
city
when
they
announced
their
decision
to
sell.
Obviously,.
E
This
isn't
the
highest
and
best
use
for
this
land
right
now,
but
we
we
why.
The
reason
we've
been
offered
it
to
the
city
is
the
fact
that
you
know
we
don't
really
want
to
see
it
develop
because
it
means
a
lot
to
us.
I
mean
we've
grown
up
here
and
lived
with
it
for
38
years
and
it's
a
it's
a
beautiful
piece
of
property.
The.
A
F
A
After
many
revisions
and
much
discussion,
the
utility
tax
will
finally
appear
on
this
November's
ballot.
As
measure
t,
the
bond
measure
is
expected
to
raise
the
necessary
25
million
dollars
so
that
the
city
may
purchase
the
two
properties.
This
is
how
it
works.
If
a
residence
monthly
PG&E
bill
is
say,
$75
and
his
or
her
telephone
bill
for
all
local
and
in
state
calls
totals
$25
during
the
month,
then
he
or
she
pays
2.4
percent
of
$100
or
2
dollars
and
40
cents.
The
average
resident
therefore
can
expect
to
pay
about
$30
a
year.
A
Only
local
and
in-state
telephone
calls
will
be
taxed
long.
Distance
interstate
calls
are
exempt.
Senior
citizens
over
65
years
of
age
are
completely
exempt
from
paying
the
utility
tax
and
the
tax
will
be
imposed
over
a
25
year
period
or
sooner
if
the
city
should
pay
off
the
property
before
that
time.
If
the
measure
passes,
Cupertino
will
be
just
one
of
several
other
neighboring
communities
that
are
presently
using
utility
taxes
for
various
municipal
acquisitions
or
improvements,
but
the
real
question
is:
will
residents
support
it?
Despite
favorable
results
from
the
survey?
G
Not
worried
about
what
about
the
people
are
in
there
now,
particularly
what
I'm
concerned
about
is.
Is
this
a
commitment
that
can
be
maintained
by
the
city
of
Cupertino
for
25
years?
What
we
don't
know
what's
going
to
happen
between
now
and
then
it
may
even
be
a
commitment.
It
shouldn't
be
maintained
during
that
period.
Something
else
may
come
up,
I,
don't
know
what
that
would
be,
but
the
future
is
unknown.
Another.
A
H
A
In
a
position
paper
made
public
in
August,
however,
the
Chamber
of
Commerce
officially
endorsed
measure
T,
noting
overwhelming
support
for
the
measure
from
within
the
business
community.
The
chamber
identified
the
proposed
acquisition
of
blackberry
farm
in
Fremont
older,
to
be
consistent
with
its
philosophy,
for
quote,
supporting
the
preservation
and
enhancement
of
the
quality
of
life
in
the
community.
Even
the
largest
utility
users,
big
businesses
came
out
in
support
of
the
tax
well.
I
I
think
the
quality
of
life
has
always
been
a
very
important
thing
to
hewlett-packard
in
to
our
employees
and
since
we're
located
in
in
the
city
of
Cupertino,
then
we
would
certainly
want
to
support
the
local
communities
decisions
regarding
these
kinds
of
things
and
if
open
space,
the
purchase
of
blackberry,
firemen
from
an
older
school
is
important
to
this
community,
then
we
would
certainly
want
to
pay
our
fair
share.
I,
don't.
J
Know
any
business
or
any
person
for
that
matter
who
voluntarily
is
going
to
wake
up
one
morning
and
say
gee
I'd
like
to
be
taxed
higher
than
I
am
now,
but
at
the
same
time,
the
businesses
in
Cupertino
feel
that
this
is
a
the
term
they
use
as
a
timeshare
community,
which
is
a
rather
unique
and
refreshing
idea.
They
are
the
occupants
of
our
city
during
the
day,
and
we
who
our
residents
are
the
occupants
during
the
evening.
J
Only
15%
of
the
people
who
work
in
Cupertino
actually
live
here,
so
everyone
else
comes
from
another
place,
and
the
business
community
feels
very
strongly
that
they
want
to
be
a
fair
share.
Supporter
of
the
amenities
and
the
various
things
that
that
are
available.
If
here
and
although
they
are
going
to
disproportionately
pay
a
higher
part
of
that
tax
burden,
they
are
willing
to
do
so.
Most.
A
Of
the
major
opposition
regarding
the
utility
tax
is
not
coming
from
the
business
community,
but
from
local
citizens
who
have
a
different
perspective
regarding
the
urgency
of
the
bond
measure,
many
residents
feel
that
full
development
on
these
sites,
particularly
at
blackberry
farm,
is
unlikely
to
occur.
Will.
C
Never
really
get
because
it's
a
floodplain
and
there's
only
a
few
acres
that
could
be
used
for
development,
the
rest
of
it.
It's
always
going
to
stay
as
it
is
because
nobody
could
build
on
it.
It's
prohibited
I,
don't
believe
that
any
developer
wants
to
get
over
there
and
tear
up
a
golf
course
and
start
building
housing.
I.
Think.
G
G
A
Residents
debate
over
the
urgency
of
the
utility
tax,
the
future
of
youth
sports
in
the
community
could
be
impacted
significantly
by
the
fate
of
measure
T
at
at
September
4th
meeting,
the
City
Council
agreed
to
set
aside
1.1
million
dollars
in
park
development
funds
designed
to
upgrade
the
condition
of
local
sports
playing
fields.
Citywide.
If
measure
T
passes,
most
of
the
money
will
be
used
for
the
field
improvements.
A
K
Want
to
have
some
areas
where
people
can
come
to
for
recreation
activities
and
I
think
that's
extremely
important
for
myself
personally,
not
only
for
the
the
Little
League
I,
look
at
it
from
my
standpoint
of
soccer
and
Little
League
and
I
also
look
at
it
from
the
standpoint
of
wanting
to
have
citywide
recreational
facilities
and
I
think
it
then
enhances
the
the
real-estate
value
of
each
individual,
because
people
are
wanting
to
buy
where
they
have
recreational
facilities
for
everybody.
So
I
see
it
as
in
tax.
That
is
worth
the
investment.
If
measure.
A
T
does
pass
and
the
city
purchases
the
properties
blackberry
farm,
will
be
operated.
Much
like
it
is
today
as
a
golf
course,
a
picnic
ground
and
as
a
swimming
area,
a
few
improvements
will
be
made
to
the
facility
in
order
to
bring
it
up
to
code
and
user
rates
may
change
slightly.
The
Freemont
older
school
site
will
be
reserved
strictly
for
recreational
use
and
sports
activities.
Most
agree,
however,
that
in
order
to
preserve
the
land
for
future
generations,
the
measure
must
pass
if.
J
The
BlackBerry
farm
or
a
three
mile
older
school
are
the
in
houses
or
commercial
businesses
are
placed
there
on
that,
isn't
an
evil
thing
in
itself.
It
does
take
away
something
that
we
now
have
and
I
think
it
was
Will
Rogers
who
said
you
ought
to
buy
land
because
they're
not
making
any
more
of
it.
So
we
would
like
that
land
to
stay
relatively
in
the
same
state
that
it's
in
now
you.