Alameda voters add 32 cents per square foot to Property Taxes for Schools (San Francisco: lease, home)

[18Montclair]

68% Voted Yes

This is a great investment and I applaud Alamedans for showing this kind of support for their schools.

This is what other cities need to do instead of waiting for Sacramento and/or DC to bail them out.

With the measure's passage, Alameda property owners will pay some of the highest school parcel taxes in California.


The ballot measure would tax each parcel at a rate of 32 cents per square foot of building space and cap the maximum tax at $7,999. For example, the owner of a 2,000-square foot home would pay $640 a year in school taxes.


Measure A, which would replace two existing parcel taxes, would raise about $12 million annually to maintain small class sizes, high school athletics, Advanced Placement classes and after-school programs, among other things.

Alameda Voters Pass Parcel Tax To Help Schools - News Story - KTVU San Francisco

[DynamoLA]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

68% Voted Yes

This is a great investment and I applaud Alamedans for showing this kind of support for their schools.

This is what other cities need to do instead of waiting for Sacramento and/or DC to bail them out.

What is the home ownership rate in Alameda County (versus renters)?

Quite frankly it is easy to "pass the buck" onto "property owners".

I am not against funding schools -- I don't even have a horse in this NorCal contest -- but so often it seems like voters want to pass off taxes to people like "homeowners", "the rich", etc. that make California go.

This is probably what makes Democrats (like me) become Republicans. I'm sick of supporting greedy public unions that don't benefit CA.

[yeahthatguy]

It's not a great investment. It's a cowardly/easy way of fixing a spending problem. It's California though and people love their taxes so it's of no surprise. I look forward to the state special election in July for the 'state' tax extension. It will impact my pocket little but its the principal. It will be the straw that breaks my back into moving elsewhere if approved. Remind me again .. California spends some of the most on education yet has some of the worst schools in the nation .. Seems problems aren't always remedied by money but that sure wont stop California from trying... I guess until the well runs dry.

[yeahthatguy]

Originally Posted by DynamoLA

What is the home ownership rate in Alameda County (versus renters)?

Quite frankly it is easy to "pass the buck" onto "property owners".

I am not against funding schools -- I don't even have a horse in this NorCal contest -- but so often it seems like voters want to pass off taxes to people like "homeowners", "the rich", etc. that make California go.

This is probably what makes Democrats (like me) become Republicans. I'm sick of supporting greedy public unions that don't benefit CA.

Knee jerk reactors don't think about factors like this.. This will just get passed on in rent hikes... hikes in local prices (commercial real-estate lease rates go up).. owners hike costs to cover the hike. I say time and time again. it's ironic how dumb people end up having the biggest hand in screwing themselves up in life .. Often they are too dumb to realize this and point the finger at other people and blame them for their misfortune

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by yeahthatguy

California spends some of the most on education yet has some of the worst schools in the nation.

How are California's schools worse than other states? I contend that our best are among the best anywhere and our worst arent really that bad compared to the worst elsewhere.

One thing I see is uninvolved parents passing the buck on to schools and blaming teachers for their own inadequecies in managing their child's education outside the classroom.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

This is what other cities need to do instead of waiting for Sacramento and/or DC to bail them out.

Other counties need to increase taxes without fixing structural problems first? Hmmm....No thanks.

[yeahthatguy]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

How are California's schools worse than other states? I contend that our best are among the best anywhere and our worst arent really that bad compared to the worst elsewhere.

One thing I see is uninvolved parents passing the buck on to schools and blaming teachers for their own inadequecies in managing their child's education outside the classroom.

Try and make use of google.com. Hint, I am not talking about college education (people who make it at least to this point tend to actually want to apply themselves).. I am talking K-12.

So, you pay all this money in taxes in CA and at 'best' .. your K-12 education is no better than any other stay w/ far less taxes and w/o the parcel shenanigans.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

68% Voted Yes

This is a great investment and I applaud Alamedans for showing this kind of support for their schools.

This is what other cities need to do instead of waiting for Sacramento and/or DC to bail them out.

The problem is that Sacramento wants it that way. That is why property taxes for schools are pooled at the state level and distributed by the state government rather than staying in the district they were collected in. If enough municipalities vote for these property tax increases for local schools, the state will just take them all over again out of the interest of "fairness".

[EscapeCalifornia]

There should be a law that only people actually paying a tax get to vote on whether or not to raise it.

[killer2021]

What they (the schools) don't tell you is that most of that money won't get anywhere near the actual classrooms. Straight to pensions and overbloated salaries for lazy teachers.