With the June 3 election fast approaching, I tried to get some facts on the $106 million Prop CC tax. Here is what I found:
• The most important question about Measure CC never is answered. Specifically, I wanted to know its exact cost to me, as a property owner. There is no easy way to find out, especially not from the totally uninformative material they keep sending me. I am quite certain my share will far exceed $20,000 over 30 years.
• However, assessed values keep increasing, and so will the tax. There is no way to really know, because Measure CC offers zero guarantees. Basically, these people want a blank check from me (and from every property owner in Culver City)! Apparently it is vital for them to keep the electorate as uninformed as possible to get votes for Measure CC.
• The $106 million demanded here is 15 times more than the entire revenue generated by the parcel tax, which we are still paying. Parcel tax money was supposed to help educate our children. Instead, huge amounts were “diverted” to consultants to organize Measure CC, in spite of the so-called oversight committees.
• We still owe $36 million on a $40 million bond from 1997, which was supposed to cover the very same repairs on the very same schools, over the past years. Things like asbestos removal were to be included. Did the School Board expect us to forget about our $40 million? How many times do we have to pay to clear out the same asbestos? Unless the stuff actually grows back, something is really fishy.
• With that kind of money, all eight schools in Culver City could be rebuilt from the ground up, not just repaired. Where is all the rest of the money going? Contractor kickbacks, political bribes, fraud, payola and other forms of institutionalized graft, I suppose. Of course, this scale of corruption couldn't happen if the $106 million payout was awarded to winning bidders for each contract. Well, it just so happens, conveniently, that competitive bidding was not required by the School Board. What amazing foresight.
• The School Board “promises” all this money will be spent on repairs. But nothing states that Board members are obligated to do that since the money will go into the “General Fund” instead. Maybe all the kids will get iPads so they can play video games (a common practice in the city next door).
Fairness? Forget It
I was not at all impressed, so I turned my focus to the issue of Measure CC tax fairness to Culver City residents. Here is what I found:
• Longtime homeowners will pay only a small fraction of what new residents will be taxed under Measure CC. How could that possibly be fair?
• Renters with five kids pay nothing, while property owners with zero kids pay top dollar. How could that possibly be fair?
• Retired seniors on Social Security must pay the full tax because it is not based on income. Some probably will lose their homes. How could that possibly be fair?
• Under new rules, everybody's ability to borrow or refinance home mortgages, already a difficult task, will be diminished accordingly. How could that possibly be fair?
• Commercial properties are typically worth the most, and this new tax burden will be passed along to customers, making Culver City business less competitive. How could that possibly be smart?
While very evasive on facts, Measure CC proponents tend to be truly nasty toward anyone who dares question where all the money is going. Some of them actually say that we hate children — just for asking the question. Seriously folks? They should be more concerned about the dubious legality of hijacking huge sums of taxpayer money to organize this proposition. At the very least, their actions make a complete mockery of the democratic process.
This Was Predictable
Our City Council is in favor of Measure CC. This should come as no surprise, given their enthusiastic support for the bribery experts at Redflex. In fact, I can't remember the last time a politician didn't fall in love with a new tax — any new tax. Thankfully, we can still do something to stop Measure CC. It is way too expensive for the size of our city, with far too many flaws, countless uncertainties and no fairness whatsoever. Measure CC is not about children, it's about money.
Let them come back in November with a better proposal, one we can afford, one we can manage, one that actually will benefit kids, not the contractors and their cronies.
Thank you for passing the word around and voting No on Measure CC.
Mr. Aldaz may be contacted at circle-5@sbcglobal.net
