All News & Blogs
c5 May 22, 2013 at 07:34 am
Actually a gas tax, if the proceeds are appropriately spent, is one of the taxes that makes the most…Read More sense to me. The problem being that the money tends to go to the general fund rather than specific transportation expenditures as originally intended. The most destructive tax is an income tax imo, and over time California will figure that out.
Libi Uremovic May 22, 2013 at 07:23 am
you're trying to blame the dems and jerry, but it was arnie that gave the power to raise gas taxes…Read More to the board of equalization.....the gop controlled cities and states are the most corrupt in cali.....all three cities that went bankrupt in 2011 were gop dominated.....
Informed Citizen May 22, 2013 at 06:52 am
This is an excellent thoroughly researched article that lays out the facts very well. Thank you for…Read More that.
This past November, California voters swept a Democratic super-majority into power in both the State Senate and Assembly, and Governor Brown is running around masquerading as a fiscal Conservative while quietly signing reams of pages of new tax Bills into law. There are so many in fact, that the public is clueless and a complicit media simply won't cover them, with rare exception.
Despite now having the highest state income tax rate in America (with Brown's Prop 30), the highest state sales tax rate in America and, come June, the highest gas tax in America, the majority party is launching a full scale assault on Prop 13 to grab even more tax dollars from property owners.
Senate Constitutional Amendment 3 (SCA 3), Mark Leno (D—San Francisco): Lowers the threshold for school district per-parcel property taxes from two-thirds to 55%. This is a direct assault on Proposition 13 because it makes it easier to increase property taxes above Proposition 13′s one percent cap.
SCA 4, Carol Liu (D—La Canada) and SCA 8, Ellen Corbett (D—San Leandro): These two bills lower the threshold for the imposition, extension or increase of local transportation special taxes from the Proposition 13-mandated two-thirds vote to 55%. While most transportation special tax increases consist of very regressive sales tax hikes, the language of these bills could be used to impose new parcel taxes.
SCA 7, Lois Wolk (D—Davis): Lowers the threshold from two-thirds to 55% in order to approve a bond to fund public library facilities. Bond “add on” taxes are like parcel taxes because only property owners have to pay.
SCA 9, Ellen Corbett (D—San Leandro): Lowers the threshold from two-thirds to 55% to increase special taxes – including parcel taxes – to fund community and economic development projects.
SCA 11, Loni Hancock (D—Berkeley): Lowers the threshold to 55% to allow for voters representing ANY local government entity to approve a special tax for ANY purpose. This is far and away the broadest application, and thus the most egregious, of these constitutional amendments.
Few know that on top of all this, the Super-Dem majority also imposed special taxes on things like latex paint and all lumber products (calling them environmental fees""). And the new Cap & Trade energy taxes, starting small in 2012, will raise the price of gas at the pump by $2.70/gal by 2015, on top of the new gas taxes mentioned above!
Susan R. May 17, 2013 at 10:06 am
Loved every minute of it. So true to the book. Can't expect anything that wasn't already there...
Trenton Gregory May 16, 2013 at 07:06 pm
The visuals are memorable in 3D.....while the acting and character development had no dimension.
E. Dale May 20, 2013 at 03:53 pm
The Patch newsfeed makes it sound like Con Fire is running the show here. I assure you, they are on…Read More scene, but it is to back up and assist the Moraga Orinda Fire District. If Bay City News is getting its info from Con Fire personnel it is probably because MOFD is too busy fighting the fire!
Jeanne May 21, 2013 at 08:52 am
Might as well get use to it. The town has over 1000 houses planed for us over the next few years.…Read More 28 here 54 there. In all it is going to be over 1000 new houses in Moraga. If you don't want that you better start fighting now. If you think I'm kidding just have a look at the general plan. It's coming and they are doing it a little at a time. If it has to be done why don't we plan it out before hand so it can be done right and make sure we get enough park land donated to go with it. Isn't that one of the complains we have.
Napoleon Solo May 20, 2013 at 02:27 pm
Gee, what a surprize. More development from the Bruzzones. They will not be satified until every…Read More square foot of Moraga is covered with cement and houses they can profit from. In spite of the Patch's recent troubles, I'm sure we we get postings from some Moragan's desparately trying to show how republican they are by saying its OK because it's private property. In reality, its a developer dumping the actual additional costs onto locals and taxpayers because he's not the one who bears the cost of the overburdened roads and services. I know a family who moved here and have been told their kids of the same age have to go to two different schools because of overcrowding. But it's OK, because its private property and Moragans need to show how republican they are. In your face, Obama or something like that. That will teach him. Oh, and add in just for yuks the dim witted politicans who think they can grow the city into prosperity, ignoring of course Stockton, San Bernardino, Vallejo and others that are much larger but declared bankruptcy. Too dim to understand that more housing increases city costs.
tommy tankka May 19, 2013 at 12:28 pm
The Class of 2013 could be THE best ever, as other experts have said. For those that saw the mens…Read More 100yd breaststroke, they witnessed history. All three top finishers bettered the National record...a most amazing feat! I can't imagine that happening again..maybe ever. Congrats to Steven Stumph! Wiser and Silverthorn as well. We'll be watching for you all at a higher level.
LamorindaMan May 21, 2013 at 03:53 pm
And no doubt if Lafayette joined the MOFD mess it would be expected to bail out MOFD's pension…Read More fiasco. No thanks. The ConFire pension mess is enough to deal with it. Lafayette residents shouldn't be the deep pockets solving MOFD's nightmares.
Carol Penskar May 20, 2013 at 01:08 pm
Either way, Lafayette will own its own pension obligations to Con Fire if it pulls out. Lafayette…Read More pays 13 cents of each property tax dollar for fire services. Moraga pays 18 cents and Orinda pays 22 cents. So, in some sense, Lafayette is getting what it pays for. I would love to see the inherited pension math against that 13 cents.
Chris Nicholson May 17, 2013 at 09:32 am
@LoveLaf: You have answered your own question. Groups controlled by firefighters endorse standards…Read More that require multiple expensive personel and pieces of equipment to respond to all incidents. They argue strongly that this is the "best practice." And, at some level, more is better-- until you look at cost. However, no one does a hard cost/benefit analysis.
From a utilization and efficiency perspective, the best answer is to unify fire/medical/police agencies under one entity. There would still be specialists on staff, but all "First Responders" would be cross-trained at a basic level, with specialist backup automatically dispatched (but cancelled by first guy on scene if not needed).
If we can't do that, we need to consider how much we spend on the current system.
In the extreme, perhaps we'd all be better off to retrofit sprinklers into our homes, disband (or dramatically reduce) the fire departments, and take our chances (perhaps with a small volunteer force). The "premium" on the "insurance" we pay for having firefighters mostly serving as expensive EMTs is hard (impossible?) to justify rationally.
Steve Cohn May 18, 2013 at 10:14 pm
The difference between the two was the office building transaction was a purchase of a 10,000 SF…Read More building for the staff of ten, hoping to rent out excess space for a profit, when Orinda offered up a portion of their earthquake-proof city hall as an alternative (at a zero net cost to the taxpayers). This was empire building (and cost $28,000).
The new fire station would produce a net savings of $2 million per year to be shared by ConFire and MOFD. This was worth the $15,000 "gamble". note: MOFD spends $15,000 every seven hours and I hope they ask ConFire to repay their half.
LamorindaMan May 16, 2013 at 09:10 pm
Forfeiting a $15K deposit. Didn't they forfeit a deposit on the property they were going to buy for…Read More their office building? How much have these guys wasted on deposits?
BART Board To Discuss Bicycle Rule Changes At Thursday…
2 Recommend David Mills (Editor)