The Grass Valley City Council has now joined Nevada City and the California Governor’s office in endorsing tax increase proposals on the November 6 ballot.
The proposals come amid revenue shortfalls in government, brought on by the steep economic downturn. Grass Valley and Nevada City have been cutting costs.
Will voters step up and agree to increases, or will the initiatives fail from voter tax fatigue? Our county — with its vocal anti-government, anti-tax, “get off my land” ideologues — will be put to the test.
The proposals will test a community vs. an independent spirit. And they will test our trust of government in allocating the funds.
A fire-tax initiative in the south county— Measure B — failed in the June election. It received 60.87% of the votes but failed because passage required 66.7% of the votes to pass.
The proposed tax initiatives also are expected to influence partisan political elections — at the national, state and local offices.
Here’s a rundown of the proposals (which require a majority vote to pass, not the 66.7 percent threshold):
Proposition 30: Increases income and sales taxes to help balance the state budget (backed by Gov. Jerry Brown). The measure would increase the sales tax by a quarter-cent for four years and levies on the wealthy by one to three percentage points for seven years.
Proposition 38: Raises income taxes to pay for education and early childhood programs (backed by attorney Molly Munger). (See analysis in video below).
Nevada City: Raise the city’s sales tax by 3/8 of a percent to make up for funds lost from expiring grants for police and other departments. The sales tax hike is for five years.
Grass Valley: A 1/2 cent local general sales tax measure over a ten year period. Budget reductions have had a significant impact on City services to the community through the reduction in staffing and the use of degraded capital equipment.
Filed under: Uncategorized
If the bucks can ONLY be used for the stated purpose and not hijacked for some other reason or pet project, then yes, tis likely. If there are fires like the one over near COLFAX, or were close to election day, then the passage of the FIRE TAX is more likely. Short sighted is a culpret to be overcome.
As a start… I would like to see ALL of the current and former Grass Valley City Council members get together in a group photo supporting the sales tax measure. Title the photo “We love Grass Valley!”
Then expand it to reach out to the community and have other people, groups, organizations, etc. take photos too. Then post them up on a “We Love Grass Valley” Face Book page/site. THe site supports and educates folks about the need and measure, but as is a place to post “things” you like and love about Grass Valley. Post photos of what you love about our community and a line or two as to why. Also post photos and a short explaination under the “Let’s Stop Talking And Fit This!” section.
Do some of that networking, social media stuff I keep hearing about and have a “We Love Grass Valley!” community gathering in downtown on Mill Street… with Lazy Dog Ice Cream!
It’s past time we started a community movement to address the many issues our fine communty faces. Communty dialog, discussion and action is needed… it’s long over due.
People get the government they deserve.
If they want services they can pay for them collectively to reduce individual costs or they can afford the time and expense of finding and paying for services for themselves. The first is affordable, the second isn’t.
I have one complaint that has remained with me regarding how our tax money is distributed. I remember the arguments in our city councils and the county board of supervisors that raising the pay scale to compete with Sacramento. It was decided to do that. Now we’re paying the price. We didn’t get “better” talent we just got folks who wanted to retire up here on nice pensions. A lot of folks pay a “pine tax” to live here and there should be no exceptions. Nevada County doesn’t have the tax pool Sacramento has.
Nevada County doesn’t have the expenditures either. I would substitute the second to last word from ‘Sacramento’ to (pick one) Loomis, Rocklin, Folsom.
I neglected to mention that I will vote for Jerry Browns bill. I’m not sure about 38 yet. I live in county and won’t have a say in Grass Valley or Nevada City.
I would support it if we can get an annual itemized list of where the dollars are spent.
For the anti-tax people, we could return to the paradigm existing in Ben Franklin’s Philadelphia, where fire protectection was by subscription, requiring subscribers to display an ID on their property. Should their house be aflame, their fire company (Insurer) would respond, but if the flames spread to the next house, a non-subscriber, they’d let it, and the entire block of houses, burn down.
In many ways, IMO, the tea people are about a return to the wild, wild, west; territorial status, before statehood even, when everything was determined by the gunman and the quick draw.
I’ll vote for the tax, just as I voted for the $50 assessment before. I too. live outside G.V. city limits, but each time I’ve dialed 911 the firemen have arrived first–they’re only a few hundred yards north on 49. To bad the local E.R. is so ailing (My experience and everyone I’ve talked to.)
The public service union bashers and union teacher haters will continue to blame all governmental fiscal problems on this select group–much from ignorance and jealousy–when the obviousness of the collapse of property values with the concommitant destabilizing reduction in public revenues is the primary cause of gov’ts money problems. Citing the excess of abuse of 1 to 2 % of public employee pension spikers does not prove the rest are guilty. My post the other day illustrated this point clearly.
I’ll be blunt. Demand stores carry things made in America; never set foot in a Wal-Marts or go down the hill for other cheaper Chinese junk. Don’t fight against an on-line sales tax, it’s only hurting your town and state, to argue otherwise is fooling yourself. We all must change our shopping habits.
In 1990 I was flat broke and seriously ill, but just got my teaching credential. After subbing, landed a permanent job in correctional ed., with the hard core, Santa Ana gang kids. Took big risks, bought a condo, then upgrading, upgrading to a disgusting, repulsively filthy bungalow near the beach. Fixed it up, wrote my book, went to work, got my 3rd cancer, took and early retirement, moved to G.V. paid $400K cash, put another 40k into it, and now most of that has been wiped out. Others here have similar stories. Life goes on and so must the services we need. Hell, I’ll send my St. tax return back and it isn’t much, not on my income and inability to work.
So tired of hearing the Jarvis crowd–which Bush Sr.. said the other day, “Who the hell is Howard Jarvis, anyway.”–complaining about nickles and dimes, while endorsing bags of gold on bombs, bulllits and balderdash.
The Republicans and those tea people have no programs, new ideas, or even awareness that a strong middle class is necessary for a stong America. As longs as the greens are neat and short, the martinis dry, and one’s home is an arsenal of sci-fi weaponry, America is a great place to be, the land of the free. Let me drive on the Interstate to Wyoming so I can shout me an elk, but don’t try and tax me you damn Commie, or I’ll shoot you down, and vote for Obamie.