Before our local officials overly sugar-coat Culver City's passage of Measure EE, the parcel tax, by comparing it to Long Beach's and Oxnard's losing efforts, a few facts need to be known.
The 85K student LBUSD just passed a 1.2 billion in General Obligation Bonds about a year ago.
So there was no way in hell the citizens of Long Beach were going to put more on their tax bills. Trying to do so, at this time, was just a waste of money by the LBUSD.
As for Oxnard, the taxpayers are still paying off $353 million in Gen Ob Bonds for their elementary and high school districts.
I am glad Measure EE passed.
But…
Accidentally on Purpose?
In Culver City, the property taxpayers — except for exempted seniors who were exempt — are also still paying on the 1996 passage of Measure T, $40,000,000 in Gen Ob Bonds, in order to upgrade CCUSD facilities.
This fact never came out during the Measure EE campaign.
But then Measure EE supporters were under no legal obligation to remind voters that they still owed over $90,000,000 in interest and principle on Measure T.
Was there a moral obligation to remind voters of this?
Oh, geez!
Sorry.
What was I thinking?
How stupid of me to even suggest that a smidgen of morality was due.
I forgot this was a political campaign to get millions of dollars from taxpayers.
Informing the electorate of their indebtedness probably was seen by Measure EE supporters as being counter-intuitive to its passage.
I guess it was understood that a less- than-fully-informed electorate would be more likely to pass Measure EE than if voters were reminded of the tens of millions in outstanding indebtedness they already owed.
It makes one wonder:
Would Culver City voters have supported their local School District so ideologically had they been reminded of their future indebtedness?
With the fiscal realities as they are, would they have just selfishly voted their own pocketbooks instead?
I can only surmise by the latest campaigns that when it comes to voting for our local candidates, an informed-electorate is still thought of as being a good thing.
But when it comes down to voting on using our tax dollars for special funding, the less the voters remember, the better.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMlaase@aol.com
