Latest Addition to Unite IE: Carly Fiorina!
 
Patriots!

This newsletter is a special edition focusing on the upcoming Unite IE Conservative Conference in Riverside on March 19. We are expecting a sellout of 1,500 because the big names just keep coming and -- stay tuned -- we have some surprises we can't announce just yet! (So stay tuned.) Get your tickets now so you don't get shut out!

Here's the link to buy your tickets to the third annual Unite IE Conservative Conference.

Tickets are now available for the BIGGEST Annual Conservative Conference in California.  Come meet and network with fellow patriots in SoCal.  Texas Representative Louie Gohmert, Bill Whittle, Larry Elder, Jenny Beth Martin and the Politichicks are some of our feature speakers.  For the complete list of speakers and ticket info, please click the link to the home page for the Redlands Tea Party Patriots.  That page has links to tickets, Facebook postings, a downloadable flier, and more! Free parking and the lunch buffet is $10 at the event. 

And while we have your attention, we want to squeeze into two reminders about our upcoming Tea Party Principles Speech Contest as well as the March 15 Redlands City Council meeting...so you are risking ignorance by not reading the rest of this newsletter. You have been warned.

Tea Party Principles Speech Contest

As with stopping Common Core, winning the next generation is as or more important than winning the next election. As a way of reaching the next generation and spreading the Tea Party principles, we are holding the first (hopefully annual) Tea Party Principles Speech contest. 
This is a great opportunity for young people ages 14-19 to compete.  The prizes are very generous. First place winner will receive a whopping $2,000!  Second place prize is $1,000 and third place is $500.

The contestants will address these questions: (a) Are the Tea Party principles valid today or should they be changed? (b) Will the Tea Party principles make my life and the lives of my friends and family and the next generation better? (c) Why or why not? 
Tea Party Principles:
--Personal freedom with constitutionally limited government.
--Economic freedom with opportunity for all and favoritism for none.
--A debt free future through fiscal responsibility today.

We believe the Tea Party principles were an essential part of making America great, free and prosperous and are essential to restoring and keeping America great, free and prosperous.  These principles are antithetical to the big government ruling class, which is why they attack the Tea Party movement so vigorously and viciously, but always without mentioning the Tea Party principles.

The deadline to register for the contest and submit a video speech is April 1.  The top 12 will compete in the semi finals on April 23.  The top six will compete in the finals at the Redlands Tea Party Patriots meeting on May 5.  We are limiting entries this first year to 50.

Please see the following links for more information and the rules and procedures.

http://redlandsteaparty.net/RTP/tea-party-principles-speech-contest/
[includes the flyer, registration form and rules and procedures]

https://www.facebook.com/events/1041745375887208/

Please help us get the word out especially to church and private and home schoolers.

Opposition is mounting to Redlands' draconian 55% water and sewer increase!

Please see and share the Facebook event page.
https://www.facebook.com/events/978715538870681/978777935531108/

Please also see and share the Redlands Water [Thank you Ken Hunter for this great webpage.]
http://www.redlandswater.com/

Thanks to Dr. Sam Wong, among others, the taxpayers and voters of Redlands are rising in rebellion over the Redlands City Council attempting to raise our water and sewer rates by 55% (compounding) over the next three years. The proof was a Feb. 11 rally when many patriots protested in front of City Hall and passed out protest letters  -- timed so the bureaucrats would see it as they left work.  They then walked over to Market Night on State Street and  passed out more protest letters and fliers. To its credit, the Redlands Daily Facts  did a good story on the protest and got it published with photo, on deadline. Click that link to read it. What link?

In addition, Sam the Hero, as well as a few of his helpers, have already put more than 1,500 protest form letters on doorsteps all over the city. We also distributed numerous others at our Feb. 4 tea party meeting. We may not get the required 13,089 residents to return enough letters (assuming none are disqualified because homeowners failed to complete the forms exactly as required. We can make the Redlands City Council feel the heat when the mandated Prop 218 hearing takes place on March 15. That could change their minds. We will be there in force on March 15! Mark your calendar and be sure to join us.  Further, we will remember, and remind, voters about the four City Council members who voted to skyrocket our water and sewer rates. (Credit to Councilman Paul Barich, the only one to oppose the hike, for keeping his campaign promise to vote against any new tax increases without putting them to voters.)

Thanks to the Redlands City Council, our water rates will increase 19% in July, then another 11% in July 2017, then still yet another 10% in July 2018 [that's 45% compounded]. And that's all on top off an annual 2.5% increase in sewage. (At election time, please remember that the Redlands City Council voted 4-1 (Paul Barich was the only no vote) for this unneeded and unrealistic increase.  By contrast the West Valley Water District [with newly elected board member, Greg Young], reduced water rates.]

Why are we getting soaked? The City claims the 55% water and sewer rate increase is necessary is because they lost $2 million and this occurred because we -- and get this -- conserved so much water that the city lost revenue. We're not making that up. The city is using the ongoing crises as an excuse to raise water rates, something it has pretty much done annually for many years. Further, the city keeps transferring money from water revenues to pay for stuff that has nothing to do with water -- this is directly against Prop 218, which forbids cities  from doing just that.

However, it appears the City intends to use money from the whopping 55% water and sewer rate increase as a disguised tax increase to fix the purported 100 year flood problem downtown so developers can build high density "stack and pack" housing along the rail where they plan to run 58 trains per day.  In 2014, the City proposed a tax increase to pay for fixing the purported 100 year flood problem.  Public opinion was so overwhelmingly against the tax increase, the City Council did not even put it on the ballot.  Now it appears they are trying to circumvent the people and deviously and surreptitiously impose the tax increase through a 55% water and sewer rate increase.

But it is not over yet!
All residents and businesses in Redlands will soon receive a "Prop 218 notice" in their water bill.  To block the 45% water rate increase, a majority must return the insert and vote NO.  The Council could have put the 45% water rate increase on the June ballot so Redlands voters could choose, but the Council chose not to do so because it is more likely the 55% water and sewer rate increase will slide through with the Prop 218 notice procedure.

In addition, here are the emails of our city council members. (Again, keep in mind Paul Barich was the only one who voted against the 55% increase.)

Mayor Paul Foster, pfoster@cityofredlands.org; Mayor Pro-tem Jon Harrison, jharrison@cityofredlands.org; Pat Gilbreath, pgilbreath@cityofredlands.org; Paul Barich, pbarich@cityofredlands.org; John James, jjames@cityofredlands.org.

We're not dead yet! We can keep fighting!
--Tell your neighbors (we need a majority of residents to appeal the 55% increase or else the rate will increase by default.
--Share the posts at http://redlandsteaparty.net/RTP/stop-the-redlands-45-water-rate-increase-and-disguised-tax-increase/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/RedlandsTeaPartyPatriots/10153835357684654/ with everyone you can.
--Download and share the flyer on the website and Facebook posts with friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.
-- Attend Council meetings and tell them what you think of their 55% water and sewer rate increase.  [first and third Tuesdays, 6:00].
-- Remember Pat Gilbreath and John James are up for reelection this year, and they voted to increase our water and sewer rates by 55%.
As always, "the most important political office is that of the private citizen."  Justice Louis Brandeis

Redlands Tea Party Patriots Online
Have you explored our website lately? You should! Cabinet member Henry Vanderleest has been doing wonders adding more and more content so you can understand local issues. Under Henry's direction, our website and newsletter have become the leading sources of local conservative news.

   Signup for Facebook and join the lively discussion with your fellow patriots!  We are up to 1063 members!  We welcome actual people who want to share news and information relating to conservative causes.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RedlandsTeaPartyPatriots/

   Check out our great websites maintained by Redlands Tea Party Patriots IT Director,
Henry Vanderleest:
http://redlandsteaparty.net/RTP/ and http://tia.redlandsteaparty.net/an/
There are continually new articles about important issues.

· Please also follow us on Twitter@RedlandsTParty  See our recent Tweets at
http://redlandsteaparty.net/RTP/redlands-tea-party-patriots-twitter/

  And illustrating our "cutting edge technology," follow our new Instagram account: redlands_tea_party_patriots

“The most important political office is that of the private citizen.”  Justice Louis D. Brandeis

“We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right."  Ronald Reagan

“I never worry about action, but only inaction.”  Winston Churchill

“If there is something about government you don’t like, get together and do something about it." Howard Jarvis

“It is always too soon to give up.”  Pastor Jack Hibbs

"Dear Conservatives...Forget your resolutions. Develop battle plans." Sonnie Johnson