With 100% of precincts counted, Measure O fails.                                        Board of Directors just wasted half a million dollars of taxpayer money on this election.                                        Criminal complaints against the district will continue to be pursued.                                        Criminal and FPPC complaints against the Astro-Turfers will continue to be pursued.                                        Your property taxes based on indebtedness will now go down, as they should.                                        

Small Business Owners

Trouble Ahead in 2016 for Small Businesses

The legislature is plotting to remove Proposition 13 protections from commercial property through a constitutional amendment. If you own property or are a tenant, reassessing the property to market value will automatically increase your property taxes and you share of this and any other bond measures.

How much can the legislature squeeze out of you in its never-ending quest for more revenue? The sky's the limit it seems.

Open Letter to Small Busines Owners

Dear Business Owner, August 2015

How do you feel about $400 million dollars in new taxes for the school district?

It's going to be on the ballot in the Walnut Valley USD on November 3rd. A $208 million bond measure that needs just 55% of those voting to pass. With interest, fees, and commissions, that will be roughly $400 million in taxes imposed on property owners in the district.

Some long-time homeowners may not see their tax bill go up very much. Newer homeowners will take a big hit. Business owners, however, may be in the eye of a perfect storm.

For many years politicians in Sacramento have been trying to undo Proposition 13, which limits taxes to the value of property assessed at sale. The latest scheme is to repeal the Prop 13 protections for commercial property. If such a scheme were to be enacted, that would devastate commercial property landlords that would be stuck with large increases in property taxes. The landlords, undoubtedly will pass the increase along to their tenant businesses.

The legislature is proposing putting a state-wide $9 billion bond on the ballot specifically to help schools.

These two items are on the horizon. What is right here and now is new taxes on business property that will be born by the landlords and tenants, who may not even have a vote in the outcome.

If Prop. 13 is repealed for commercial property, you can forget about the estimates that district has made.

If all three measures are passed, businesses will be the hardest hit.

Many people in WVUSD don't want this bond because it is a slush fund that will not build anything new. It will be used to move operating expenses off budget, allowing the regular taxes you already pay to pay for salaries, benefits, pensions, and other stuff that doesn't benefit students.

Those who can read also know that the bond language is vague and violates the intent and letter of the law -- the California Constitution.

The more vague the language, the more likely the money will be wasted.

I'm not speculating here. In 2008, Mt. SAC CCD got a $355 million bond which said nothing about building a parking structure or expanding its stadium for concerts. It's tried to get those things and it might still succeed, except for the efforts of a small group of local taxpayers.

Once passed, fighting how the money's spent will be a quixotic exercise.

I'm asking for your help, whether you are a landlord or tenant or both. There are three things that you can do that would help me fight the lies that the Board is spreading.

1) Let me help you prepare a message to your customers who live or work in the district.

2) Get me speaking engagements at local business, social, or civic association meetings.

3) Help me by sponsoring some of the printed materials that are needed to combat and to perform the voter outreach needed right around the election.

The bond measure is the most expensive form of financing school district needs. The people who benefit the most will be bureaucrats, politicians, bankers, lawyers, lobbyists, venture capitalists, and trade unions.

As ususal, the students and the taxpayers will mostly be dead or long gone before they realize any benefit.

Sincerely,

Richard Michael Contact: walnutwatchdogs+wvusd@gmail.com 909-274-0813

"No More Bonds for Fat-Cat Bankers" http://bit.ly/wvusdballot

 


Copyright © 2015, Richard Michael. All Rights Reserved.