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Lookout’s editorial board is wrong to endorse Santa Cruz’s Measure C.
Measure C’s special tax increase bypasses our local government’s tax-increase thresholds. This measure should be presented to voters during a general election and not under a special election process. That would ensure issues are addressed and not overlooked by this mayor and city council, which collectively are acting as a housing advocacy group under a false premise. They are pushing for projected property tax revenue to pay for housing at the same time the city’s workforce’s salaries, benefits and pension costs are causing a major budget gap.
The city attorney’s office has also abdicated its responsibility by allowing Mayor Fred Keeley to directly fund this special tax measure. I think that lacks ethical responsibility.
Second, Measure C advocacy groups say it’s a “workforce affordability act” for service workers, teachers, police and firefighters who otherwise cannot afford to live/work here. It’s not the shortage of housing alone that creates our housing shortages, rather an imbalance of economic factors, such as interest rates, construction costs and investment/job market trends that must also be considered.
Thirdly, unlike the voter-approved affordable-housing Measures J and O that do not target or directly tax our neighbors, this measure places a 20-year transfer tax increase on properties sold above $1.8 million in addition to allocating 10% of the tax assessment revenue to the homeless tax-exempt agency sponsoring Measure C.
Fourth, the voting decisions of renters do not directly pay property taxes but have a disproportionate impact on homeowners. Renters don’t share this same financial risk from property tax increases, as their living expenses are determined by rent rather than property ownership costs. And for seniors, most of whom are on fixed incomes, an increase in property taxes is a major threat to their financial stability, thus leaving them with fewer options to absorb this 20-year tax increase.
Measure C directly places the financial burden on homeowners. When did our elected officials become real estate brokers by playing monopoly on the sale and value of our homes?
Measure C is a bad idea.
Jeff Staben
Soquel