Property taxes back to cities? - Schwarzenegger's plan to account for lack of vehicle fees

SFGate.com ^ | 11/6/03 | Greg Lucas - SF Chronicle

[NormsRevenge]

Sacramento -- Advisers to Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger are drafting a budget that would give cities and counties back much of the local property tax revenue the state seized a decade ago, The Chronicle has learned.

The plan's aim is to offset a loss of local money should the new Republican governor reduce vehicle license fees, as he has promised to do.

[NormsRevenge]

.

[CHUCKfromCAL]

"A shift to more property tax and an increase in new home construction would be a boon for builders, construction firms and real estate companies, which gave $2.5 million to Schwarzenegger's campaign, according to an analysis by California Common Cause."

All of a sudden the Chronicle is able to connect campaign contributions to proposed tax agendas. They never seemed able to do this when California had a Democrat Governor. Wonder why?

[goldstategop]

I think we know. Arnold should go further and propose the abolition of our state income tax. He can justify it out of a need to make California competitive with Texas and Florida which don't have it.

[Carry_Okie]

...construction firms and real estate companies, which gave $2.5 million to Schwarzenegger's campaign, according to an analysis by California Common Cause."

Yup, not special interests, VERY special interests. Watch, while Bonnie Reiss et al. screws ranchers and farmers out of their land with the water quality regulations Davis put in place in order to fuel a building boom. Gotta house all those folks running from the illegals somehow.

All of a sudden the Chronicle is able to connect campaign contributions to proposed tax agendas. They never seemed able to do this when California had a Democrat Governor. Wonder why?

They didn't do it when Arnold was running for governor either. I wonder why?

[DoctorZIn]

This post has been added to the… California In Transition- Must read Threads!

Want on our daily or major news ping lists? Freepmail DoctorZin

[SierraWasp]

"Watch, while Bonnie Reiss et al. screws ranchers and farmers out of their land with the water quality regulations Davis put in place in order to fuel a building boom."

Yeah, sure, right! Ya gotta cut off both the revenue streams AND the riverine streams from them danged farmers!!! Their "Cows Don't Vote!" They oughta be growin "affordable housing" instead of food on their dried up old land.

All they do is pollute their land and our "watersheds" with tasty furtilized plants and furtilizing animals that can be imported from the oppressed tird whirled cuntries more cheaply, anaways.

Dumass Darrel Steinburger thinks he can stop "the fiscalization of land-use policy" through "regionalizm" that further concentrates money and power into the blue "Gore-Zone" criminal sesspools called CA cities!!! FDR's regional government scheme to remove "local control in local hands" so we can be more like the "old country!" (gag!)

[daviddennis]

Making cities and counties rely more on property tax would lessen the incentive to approve "big box'' sales outlets and would make construction of new housing more financially attractive -- a main goal of the building industry, one of Schwarzenegger's biggest campaign contributors.

On the other hand, Arnold might be thinking of the revolting housing shortage that has gripped this city. Three years ago, the cheapest house in Woodland Hills was about $275k. Now it's $399k.

We're starving for housing around here. Everyone who's looked for a home or apartment knows it, too. My landlord can't resist $399k for my house, so I'm having to move. Trust me, the situation's dire for anyone who wants to move right now :-(.

D

[Carry_Okie]

We're starving for housing around here. Everyone who's looked for a home or apartment knows it, too. My landlord can't resist $399k for my house, so I'm having to move. Trust me, the situation's dire for anyone who wants to move right now :-(.

So, dd, answer this: Why should it be necessary to subsidize the developers (who support either Party as long as they can buy favors) by by using regulatory power to steal the land at under market value from those who have held it for ages (solid Republicans)? Don't they deserve the profit for having held that land while it's speculative value increased?

I'm not against housing, dd, I'm against corruption. That's what the process I described really is. Consider how it works in energy. That's how it works in real estate too.

Better read that book :-(

[daviddennis]

My understanding of this idea is that sales tax revenues are being swapped for property tax revenues, correct?

The theory is that right now, commercial property that generates sales tax revenues is way more desirable than residences, which generate demand for schools. So if we make property tax revenue more important, housing will be more likely to pull its weight economically, and so more communities will be willing to allow housing to be built.

Unless I'm missing something, that simply reduces the imbalance between housing and economic opportunity, which has tilted away from housing to the point of absurdity.

How does that steal anyone's land, in view of the fact that the protections of Proposition 13 are still in place? It seems to me that it simply gives local government a more stable revenue source.

Or am I missing something?

D

[Carry_Okie]

I wasn't commenting on the property tax issue, but on how the interests of the development lobby that gave Arnold $2.5 million dovetails with the environmental side that is taking the land.

The tax incentives are only a small part of the picture. To build housing, they are going to need dirt and water. All indications are that they will get it by taking it.

[Amerigomag]

A shift to more property tax and an increase in new home construction would be a boon for builders, construction firms and real estate companies, which gave $2.5 million to Schwarzenegger's campaign, according to an analysis by California Common Cause.

These are not to be confused with special interest groups. Special interest groups are bad. Schwarzenegger's close, personal friends are good.

Remember special intersts groups bad; friends good.

One more time ....