Comments on: Special AUSD Meeting Tomorrow Night

By: Barb

Barb — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:52:07 +0000

I hardly think that passing either of the last two school parcel taxes did anything to keep my property values from plummeting these last few years! Or the Hospital $300 parcel tax that is going to need anther parcel tax to earthquake proof the hospital.

I won’t move until I am forced too. Why should I care how much the alleged parcel tax increase would benefit my heirs if it drives me out of my home now?

By: Action Alameda

Action Alameda — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:28:30 +0000

In 2008, we suggested to Measure H proponents that they a) work on Sacramento fix the ADA inequity problem, and b) push back on the redevelopment machine – see the link below to the California Redevelopment Association’s (CRA) update page on the CRA lawsuit concerning the State’s attempt to transfer $2 billion of redevelopment funds from developer subsidies to schools. i.e. CRA is trying to block it.

At that time, Measure H proponents said “There’s no time for that! We have to save the schools now!” If they did anything – lobbying Sacramento over redevelopment or ADA – between Measure H passing in 2008, and now, we would like to see it.

The school board and Superintendent Vital are well aware of both of these issues. If anyone on the board, or at the District office, would like to share with us details of their lobbying efforts, we would be happy to write about it. But we’re right back to “There’s no time for that! We have to save the schools now!”

It’s going to be very difficult for us to take an editorial stance in support of this new parcel tax.

http://www.calredevelop.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Legislative_Updates&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=8&ContentID=1422

By: Jack B.

Jack B. — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:18:04 +0000

R., I don’t disagree with anything you have said. It’s very frustrating for us all… and I have a natural distaste for these kinds of taxes.

By: R. Beck

R. Beck — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:26:13 +0000

Jack, I am a commercial property owner and I am paying $1200. just for measure H alone not counting measure A and the bond we are all still paying off. To make matters worse, my longtime tenants both ask me for a rent reduction, which I granted. Everyone knows, business is bad, just look at the empty storefronts in the city. Ask some of the business owners how this is affecting them.Everyone agrees, the schools need the money, there is no question about that, but this has been going on now for a long time and our elected officials in Sacramento have completely ignored Alameda, starting with Perata.Jack, if you and people like you don’t mind paying a few hundred dollars more, why not make the tax $808.00 for everyone, that would bring in the $14million dollars AUSD say they need. Remember, measure H was supposed to be an emergency tax because measure A was not enough.What will prevent the District to come again in a couple of years with another tax. The economy will take years to recover and Sacramento is broke and on the verge of bankruptcy.People are angry at Washington, at Sacramento and also right here in our City. We are asked again and again to open up our wallets,pay more and more taxes, which is never enough no matter how much we pay.

By: Jack B.

Jack B. — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:28:51 +0000

R. Beck, I’m not sure how this will affect commercial businesses, but wouldn’t the cost of a parcel tax (a few hundred dollars) be more than offset by the retention or improvement of property values (measured in the 10′s of thousands) assuming AUSD improves or at least retain their reputation?

I know there are plenty of reasons to rag on how AUSD will or will not spend the money, but for home-owners: doesn’t the simple math say that it’s better to accept the parcel tax instead of letting the schools go to sh*t?

By: R. Beck

R. Beck — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:05:59 +0000

Before they decide to put this parcel tax on the ballot, that will cost anywhere from $150,000.00 to $200,000.00,($3.00-$5.00 per vote)
I would like to know the outcome of the polling they did last month.
How many people would be willing to more than double their property tax.This information should be made public.