Posted on 10/02/2007 10:49:47 AM PDT by BurbankKarl
Worried that an upcoming court ruling could wreak havoc on the city budget, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recommended Monday that the City Council declare the city will face an "emergency" if a court rules against the city and invalidates a $270-million telephone users utility tax.
The declaration would pave the way for the mayor and the council to put a replacement tax on the ballot as soon as Feb. 5 and -- perhaps more significantly -- lower the threshold needed to win passage of such a measure from two-thirds to a simple majority, lawyers for the city said.
Villaraigosa met Monday with Councilman Bernard C. Parks, the head of the council's budget committee, to discuss the ballot proposal, which would not generate new revenue but instead preserve existing funds that are being targeted in three separate lawsuits.
"Without question, the potential loss of $270 million to the city's general fund would present a significant damage to the health and safety of the city," said Villaraigosa spokesman Matt Szabo.
Proposition 218, a 1996 statewide initiative that governs municipal tax hikes, stipulates that cities can put general tax measures on the ballot only during regular municipal elections, when such measures need only a simple majority to pass.
But in an eight-page report issued Monday, the city's top financial analyst warned that the city could lose the lawsuits -- and the $270 million -- if it waits until the next such election, in 2009, to send the measure to voters.
Villaraigosa and the City Council have been discussing whether to put the tax on the ballot during the presidential primary election, when turnout is expected to be particularly high.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
"SCREW YOU PEOPLE!,You may win round one,But WE'LL win round two~and make it hurt EVEN WORSE
"You PEONS just aren't going to beat US!
Ouch!
Yes, they were caught illegally stealing a quarter of a billion dollars from their citizens.
Typical.
I live in a community of 1600 people and the village government taxes cell phones $1 per month per phone. That’s in addition to state and fed taxes.
How do they know I have a cell phone? Verizon tells them.
When will the people revolt? When government depends on them more than they depend on government.
No wonder the democrats want to give away health care.
This is the same Los Angeles that gave a few million to a gang leader to stop the violence!!!!!
How about giving OJ SIMPSON a few million to run a women’s abuse center, also.???
It is beyond sensible with Democrats. Keep taxing and taxing until there is nothing left to tax and then prosecute the persons who cannot be taxed anymore. If the working people leave California, then the ones that just stand with their hands out can stay and we can remove them from the Union.
That’s why big cities go Democrat in national elections.
City dwellers want the country run as they have their cities run.
Few guys at the top...central control...
It only shows their ignorance as to how things work.
When the city leaders show their inability to solve problems
by trying to throw money at the problem,(our tax money)
that should give those city dwellers a chance to see
what a centralized national government wll work like.
That’s why big cities go Democrat in national elections.
City dwellers want the country run as they have their cities run.
Few guys at the top...central control...
It only shows their ignorance as to how things work.
When the city leaders show their inability to solve problems
by trying to throw money at the problem,(our tax money)
that should give those city dwellers a chance to see
what a centralized national government will work like.
That’s why big cities go Democrat in national elections.
City dwellers want the country run as they have their cities run.
Few guys at the top...central control...
It only shows their ignorance as to how things work.
When the city leaders show their inability to solve problems
by trying to throw money at the problem,(our tax money)
that should give those city dwellers a chance to see
what a centralized national government will work like.
That’s why big cities go Democrat in national elections.
City dwellers want the country run as they have their cities run.
Few guys at the top...central control...
It only shows their ignorance as to how things work.
When the city leaders show their inability to solve problems
by trying to throw money at the problems,(our tax money)
that should give those city dwellers a chance to see
what a centralized national government will work like.
That’s why big cities go Democrat in national elections.
City dwellers want the country run as they have their cities run.
Few guys at the top...central control...
It only shows their ignorance as to how things work.
When the city leaders show their inability to solve problems
by trying to throw money at the problems,(our tax money)
that should give those city dwellers a chance to see
what a centralized national government will work like.
That’s why big cities go Democrat in national elections.
City dwellers want the country run as they have their cities run.
Few guys at the top...central control...
It only shows their ignorance as to how things work.
When the city leaders show their inability to solve problems
by trying to throw money at the problems,(our tax money)
that should give those city dwellers a chance to see
what a centralized national government will work like.
sorry bout the multiple posts....never had that before.
I just opted out from Verizon’s “customer proprietary network information”, a practice of providing personal information to its affiliates. But that won’t do any good if Big Brother govt whether local, regional, or federal wants the info.
You get what you voted for.
I'm sure there is a law on the books that cellular companies must provide this info to any local government that wants it. Because U.S. Cellular did it too before I switched to Verizon.
We are all over taxed at every level of government. Well, not all, just those who actually pay taxes.
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