Jun 25 2013
OPINION: Keep Prop 13
Resident is concerned about harm to property owners –
June 24th
President Raushenbush and Members of the Board:
It’s with considerable anxiety that I see that you will be asked to adopt Resolution No. 22-2012-13 calling upon the State Legislature to once again challenge Proposition 13 !
As I see it, this action, if adopted by the legislature, will be just one more of the never ending attacks on property owners of California; intended to eventually cause the demise of Prop. 13. The politicians of California won’t ever be satisfied until they have overturned this protection for all property owners, commercial or residential.
Reject the proposed resolution.
George Childs, Piedmont Resident
Editors’ Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.
The wording of the resolution is clear that reform of only commercial, not residential, property owners’ assessments is being urged. “NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Piedmont Unified School District supports commercial property tax reform that will require non-residential commercial properties to be reassessed immediately and regularly while maintaining residential property owners’ protections under Prop 13; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Piedmont Unified School District will communicate this position to the elected representatives of the District in the State
Legislature.
I have been away for several weeks and have always valued Mr. Child’s input. George, what “Board” are you referring to and just what is “Resolution No. 22-2012-13”? I join you in your enthusiastic support of Prop. 13, but wish your letter had given some background.
Best to all,
Patty White
Patty, George is referring to our Piedmont School Board. Several Board members during the recent School Tax campaign were vocal in stating the Prop. 13 is a senior tax exemption and therefore no exemption is need with the Piedmont School Tax, the highest school parcel tax in the State.
Tim is correct, the resolution only concerns commercial property, so evidently the School Board still believes that Prop. 13 is a senior tax exemption. This position seems contradictory as Prop. 13 is statewide and not considered an exemption elsewhere. Most school districts with a school parcel tax have a meaningful senior exemption including all the other top ten districts. Other districts with very low parcel taxes, as little as $30, have senior exemptions.
Rick is correct. I was addressing the PUSD Board of Education.
As I see it, the State legislature, the body the resolution is intended to influence, has consistently worked to peal back the protections of Prop. 13 for years. Should they manage to convince the electorate to pass a measure to take these protections from commercial and industrial properties, the next step will clearly be an effort to overturn the 2/3 requirement for any bond or tax measure and defeat Prop 13 in its entirety! They work on this regularly – See what the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has to say about this
George