Why I'm voting YES on 6 on November 5th!

Hi , First and foremost, thank you all for voting to re-nominate me as the Democratic candidate for State Representative of the 27th Middlesex District. Our resounding victory, 69%-31%, sent a clear message and mandate for bold and transformational policies at the MA State House. I’ll continue to fight for reproductive justice, affordable housing, climate justice, and funding for our public schools, transportation, and infrastructure. I’m thrilled to continue working with you all, thank you! The November 5 election is upon us and there are some critical questions on the ballot this year. I'll share why I'm voting for them and answers to some common questions I received while canvassing door to door in the coming weeks, but for today’s newsletter, I want to focus on one specific to Somerville, Question 6. I hope you will join me in supporting the campaign Yes on 6 during the month before election day on November 5. Question 6: Somerville Community Preservation Act: The question is about doubling the funding of the Community Preservation Act to support three areas: Affordable Housing Open Space & Outdoor Recreation Historic Preservation Somerville adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA) by a vote in the General Election in November 2012. Somerville elected a 1.5 percent property tax surcharge and the first $100,000 of residential and commercial property value is exempted. Since then, $35 million raised by CPA funds have unlocked over $315 million in other funding sources to invest in Somerville. CPA has made crucial investments in affordable housing, improving parks and playgrounds, and helping preserve historic sites including community organizations and local nonprofits! What has the Community Preservation Act funded? 1. Affordable housing The most common issue I hear about is the dire need for affordable housing. Since 2012, over $18M has been put towards affordable housing throughout the city including the 100 Homes Initiative and Clarendon Hill redevelopment project. It was also used to redevelop the Mystic Waterworks into low income senior housing. CPA funds have contributed to the creation of over 120 affordable housing units and the support of rental assistance programs for residents all over Somerville! A big thank you to the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Somerville Community Corporation (SCC), Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), and the Somerville Homeless Coalition for all your work on expanding and advocating for affordable housing and administering programs that help our most marginalized residents access affordable housing resources.  2. Public School Playgrounds Almost every new and upgraded playground in the city has benefitted from CPA funds, including Winter Hill, West Somerville, Brown, Kennedy, and Healey schoolyards as well as the Allen Street, Hoyt Sullivan and Central Hill playgrounds! Right now, planning and design are getting underway for the Kennedy schoolyard thanks to CPA funds! 3. Parks and libraries CPA has also funded design and expansion of many open spaces. Most notably, CPA funding was used to expand and protect Somerville’s most iconic landmark, Prospect Hill Park.  Other parks that received upgrades through CPA funding include Glen Park, Lou Ann David Park, 217 Somerville Ave, and Junction Park. Blessing of the Bay Park is also set to receive an upgrade in 2025! The West Branch Library also received a massive facelift using CPA funding! 4. Nonprofit, community, and faith organizations Several CPA projects have aimed to improve accessibility in historic buildings for individuals with disabilities or mobility challenges. For example the West Branch Library, Temple B'nai Brith, and Somerville Museum all received elevator upgrades through CPA funds. How does the funding work? Question 6 would double the amount of CPA funds available from a 1.5 percent property tax surcharge to a 3 percent surcharge. An average condo would see an increase of $38/year, and $93/year for a single family. This is equivalent to $3/month for the average condo, and $7.75/month for the average single family. You can read more information here. The first $100,000 of both residential and commercial property is exempt from the CPA surcharge, which is calculated as a percentage of your property tax bill. If your property tax is reduced, the CPA surcharge will also be lower. Low-income homeowners and low- to moderate-income seniors can apply each year for an exemption from the surcharge. The income limits to qualify in 2024 are listed in the table below. These exemptions are already in effect and would not be impacted by the proposed surcharge increase. How can I get involved? Right now, the biggest ask is to help with raising money. We need donations to help reach as many people as possible! These funds would go to printing fliers, yard signs throughout the city, mailer to voters, and text banking campaigns.  We are having a kickoff event and fundraiser this Sunday, October 6, from 4:00-6:00PM at Prospect Hill Park (68 Munroe St). We will have pizza, drinks and speakers share with us how you can get involved and ensure that we win this campaign for the Community Preservation Act fund! Hope to see you all there! Sign up for the fundraiser! DONATE! Talking to our neighbors is the best way to get the word out about the benefits of the CPA and why we need to vote yes on question 6! Sign up below: Volunteer! I want a yard sign! Mail in ballots for the November 5 election start going out in the coming weeks, so the faster we get the word out, the better! The campaign also has a Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook that we will be ramping up in the coming days. It would be helpful to follow, repost, and like posts to help get the word out: Twitter Instagram Facebook Upcoming events Somerville Community Meetings We have a number of Somerville City Hall Community Meetings coming up. You can look up which ward you are in here. If you missed your ward’s community meeting, no worries! Meetings run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with refreshments and meet-and-greets starting at 6 p.m. Feel free to join the upcoming meetings below: Ward 5: Tuesday, October 1, Kennedy School Cafeteria, 5 Cherry St.  Ward 1: Tuesday, October 8, East Somerville Community School Cafeteria, 50 Cross St.  Ward 6: Wednesday, October 9, Somerville Community Baptist Church, 31 College Ave. Ward 2: Wednesday, October 16, Argenziano School Cafeteria, 290 Washington St. Yes on 2 Campaign Join educators, parents, students, and community members for the YES on 2 campaign to replace the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement. We need your help to get the word out to vote yes on question 2 in November. Click here to sign up to knock doors and help get the word out!  11th Annual International Wrongful Convictions Day Join us on this Wednesday, October 2 at in the State House in the Great Hall from 12pm to 2pm with support from the Exoneree Network, the New England Innocence Project, Boston College Innocence Program and the Committee for Public Counsel Services.  This day is to raise awareness of the causes and remedies of wrongful conviction and to recognize the tremendous personal, social, and emotional costs of wrongful conviction for innocent people and their families. Somerville's very own Sen. Pat Jehlen will be speaking! Knock doors and carpool with the Somerville Dems to New Hampshire We will be launching campaign carpools with the Somerville Dems to knock on doors for Harris and Walz in New Hampshire on Saturday October 12. Sign up here! Event updates on Beacon Hill and in Somerville Ward 3 and Ward 4 Community Meetings I attended the City Hall Ward 3 and Ward 4 Community Meetings. Thank you to Mayor Ballantyne  and her staff for putting together the informative presentation. It was great to have so many conversations with residents. Victory Party! The night of the election, I celebrated with neighbors, supporters, and friends alike. Thank you to all who came out and thank you again Somerville!! I’m grateful once again to have support throughout the 27th Middlesex District. It's truly a joy and honor to serve you in the MA House of Representatives. Can't wait to keep working with you to build our movement and continue the fight for all of our priorities! Karaoke 4 Kamala Earlier this month I joined members of the AANHPI community for the Karaoke 4 Kamala pre-debate watch party! It was great to be in community with so many people while we raised money for the November election. I got to fulfill a long time dream of mine to sing the MTA by The Kingston Trio, a song about the MBTA and an artistic expression of why regressive revenue like fares are bad. Gilman Square Arts and Music Festival I had a blast at the Gilman Square Arts and Music Festival. It was a great close out the Summer with artists, musicians, friends, and neighbors. Thank you to the Gilman Square Neighborhood Council and the Somerville Arts Council for putting on this event! 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony 2024 I joined Mayor Ballentyne, local elected officials, and city staff to honor the sacrifices made during the attacks on September 11, 2001 and those who are still battling and succumbing to 9/11-related illnesses. Long-Term Care bill signing Last week I attended the bill signing for The Long-Term Care bill. Thank you to Chair Stanley and Chair Jehlen for your continued leadership on the Elder Affairs Committee and for the advocates who pushed for this bill that makes nursing facilities safer and creates more options for care. And thank you to Speaker Mariano, President Spilka, and Governor for your leadership in helping get this bill across the finish line. As always, it is a joy and honor to serve you in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas! Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook Yours in service, Erika Committee to Elect Erika Uyterhoeven 11 Wesley Park Somerville, MA 02144 United States Official State Rep website: www.RepErika.com Campaign website: www.ElectErika.com If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please (Unsubscribing is not supported in previews).