No new taxes, huh?
If all the tax measures pass, including a one-cent sales tax hike that the Governor is allegedly suggesting, cities such as Pico Rivera will be paying as much as 10.75 percent in sales tax.
Here are the proposed city and county tax measures appearing on the November ballot affecting San Gabriel Valley voters:
El Monte
What: A half-cent sales tax for a period of five years
Expected revenue: $4.4 million a year
Reason: To preserve funding for public safety, street and storm drain maintenance, rebuild reserve funds, plug a $400,000 deficit
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
What: A half-cent sales tax increase for 30 years
Expected revenue: $30 - $40 billion
Reason: To improve traffic flow, expand public transportation, extend light rail with airport connections and provide clean-fuel buses
Pico Rivera
What: A one-cent sales tax increase
Expected revenue: $6 million
Reasons: To preserve public safety, community programs, plug a $4.8 million deficit, and maintain city infrastrcuture
Pomona
What: An increase of the utility users tax to 10 percent from 9 percent for 2 years and 2 months
Expected revenue: $1.8 million
Reasons: Maintain city services and capital improvement projects
San Gabriel
What: An increase in the utility users tax to 8 percent from 6 percent
Expected revenue: $1.2 million
Reasons: Improve police protection and investigations that reduce crime, preserve fire and paramedic emergency response times, plug a $600,000 deficit, and perform capital improvement projects.
Cholos are pissed in Pico Rivera. heh
Give the MTA money to spend on the westside....NOT. As for the cities increasing taxes, give them more and they will find more places to spend it, and be in the same situation the following year. Politicians, no matter what level they are at, have no idea what it means to tighten the belt. They think the citizens are a bottomless money pit.
A question that should be asked by an enterprising reporter: How much percentage-wise did cities in the SGV spend out of their general funds 10 years ago for pension obligations & salaries, and how much do they spend now?
With that answer in hand, I think the question of why these taxes are being proposed by cities would be cleared up pretty quickly.