Home California Proposal Would Lower Voter Threshold for Police, Fire Taxes

Proposal Would Lower Voter Threshold for Police, Fire Taxes

by ECT

CONFIRE1

While I am not a fan of lowering the threshold for California’s local voters to pass special taxes for everything via way of a constitutional amendment, I am in favor a proposal that lowers the threshold for special taxes for ONLY police or fire agencies.

There is a new proposal via Democratic Assemblywoman Nora Campos of San Jose proposed ACA 3, which would lower the threshold both for sales taxes to support law enforcement personnel and for bonded indebtedness to pay for facilities and equipment.

Assembly Constitutional Amendment 3 would allow local voters to approve revenue-raising tax proposals by a 55 percent majority rather than by two-thirds. This is a huge move because public safety should be a first priority.

Campos’ bill is sponsored by California Professional Firefighters, the California Police Chiefs Association, and the California State Sheriffs’ Association.

For a copy of the full proposal, here is the link

Source:
Sacramento Bee

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1 comment

B-Wood Jan 24, 2013 - 8:59 am

I would support this if they would just exchange it with the school bond threshold which is already at 55 percent. Lowering the school bond threshold was simply an “end around” Prop. 13. That little parlor trick has us paying on multiple bonds for decades and administrators still asking for more. The schools are overcompensated with taxes while public safety fights for the crumbs left behind. Our system is failing us. Don’t get me wrong, education is extremely important but at what expense? I would argue that the overall safety of the community is just as important. So why the inequity?

If you want a wake up call look up your own TRA (Tax Rate Area). Every city (area) has one. You will see that 60 percent of your tax dollar goes to education even before the bonds that are added. Then the rest of the services that you come to expect (parks, police, fire, library, flood control, roads & transportation, lighting & landscaping, etc…) Must make due splitting up the remaining 40 percent!

If most voters saw this inequity they would never vote for another school bond (tax) again and repeal the lowering of the school bond threshold of 55 percent.

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