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To the editor:
It is always baffling when self-proclaimed Democrats oppose wealth taxes.
Fred Keeley, who has been a loud and proud Democrat for years, recently told Lookout that he plans to vote no on Measure N, a tax that the Santa Cruz County Democratic Party (of which he is a part) endorsed in an overwhelming majority in August.
At the national level, we shake our heads at the Democrats who dance between the aisles so much that they block progressive efforts: the Joe Manchins, the Krysten Sinemas.
It is equally frustrating to see this play out on the local level.
Keeley says he would rather explore sales and property taxes to fund affordable housing. Measure F’s defeat last June suggests that Santa Cruzans are weary of sales and property taxes that only dump money into the city’s General Fund.
Measure N’s funds would be earmarked for affordable housing only, a key reason the measure is endorsed by the Santa Cruz Democrats, Santa Cruz YIMBY, and Santa Cruz for Bernie, organizations that rarely agree on housing. Keeley’s stance on Measure N, which is poised to raise between $2.5 to $4.5 million annually, is bizarrely out of step with his political party.
Katie Spencer
Santa Cruz