Just when you think you are taxed to the max, local politicians have another plan. Many of these items have worthy goals (there are certainly exceptions), but local governments seem to be out of touch with California’s reality. We have an unemployment/underemployment rate of 20.3%. That makes California #2 in the nation, behind Nevada. We may be entering a second recession and adding these tax burdens (plus the state’s tax plans) most would say would not be a good thing for the economy. See list below.
Presumably Moraga and Orinda rushed to get their sales taxes on the books before the Governor’s sales tax passes (if it does). Pinole with the Utility Users Tax extension proves the old age that nothing is as permanent as a “temporary” tax. Keep that in mind whenever a governmental entity brags about a “sunset” clause. If there is no intention of a real sunset then they are just a stepping stone in the path to a permanent tax. In that regard, kudos to Moraga for saying they need their sales tax for 20 years to fix roads, but at the same time the authorization to incur debt to speed up projects………may or may not be a good thing – most people will miss that statement in the measure.
This is not a complete list, there is at least one bond measure for San Ramon Schools, but this gives everyone a heads up of what will be on the local ballots.
Kris Hunt
Executive Director
CoCoTAX
Contra Costa Local Ballot Measures as of August 1 2012
Bill Gram-Reefer is Editor & Publisher of Halfway To Concord, founded in 2004. Halfway To Concord is the leading online source for community-driven political news, events, and opinion for Contra Costa County and the San Francisco East Bay.
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I shop in Moraga for hardware, clothes & cookware. The lamestream press tells us it is for roads. Recently Moraga wanted to turn a peaceful park into an organized sports field. Obviously that will be their number one project.
Just as obvious. I will need to shop elsewhere.