Pacifica Tribune, Letters to the Editor, "Utility Users Tax" by Saul Villegas
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About two weeks ago, I was polled by telephone about raising property taxes to pay for a myriad of proposed projects (mostly environmental) in the county. I believe this poll was honest, unlike the others, because it allowed for "yes" or "no" or "definitely yes" or "definitely no" responses including the last question, "Would you say you would definitely vote yes for this initiative or would you definitely vote no for this initiative"?
The telephone polls conducted by local school districts and the city of Pacifica are designed to always show that we support tax increases. Time to stop all these polls. .... No More Taxes!" Read Letter.
Note: graphic from nutritionize,"Primal Meditation."
Posted by Kathy Meeh
46 comments:
The UUT poll was a very sophisticated poll delivered by some very sophisticated people hired by a couple of determined people. The question was never to be only about would you support an additional tax for this and that. That would have been over fast. It was about helping you, a particular demographic, to find a way you could support the tax by asking you questions with gray areas known to be important to you, and then exploiting those gray areas until consensus was built. Clever, increasingly common and perfectly legal. Still, it smells undemocratic and dishonest. Wouldn't stand a chance in the fair fight of an election with a bigger turnout. That's the whole idea, isn't it? People use the tools and methods they are comfortable with to get the result they want.
One of the big problems I have with this tax is that the City Council did not give equal treatment to all taxpayers.
Businesses will get a $500.00 tax cap on their combined utility bills(PG&E and telecommunications)while residents get nothing.
Back in 1983 when the UUT was put into place I doubt the City Council thought that any business would ever reach the $500.00 tax cap. Now 30 years later, with the addition of the tax on phones, most will. The poor homeowner on the other hand gets no relief on either his PG&E or his phone tax. If tomorrow or next year or the year after that his combined UUT exceeds $500.00, tough Shit, pay up and keep quiet.
He might get a chance eight years from now to make another City Council change things.( the sitting council will have termed out by then and will not have to answer for what it did.)
And don't get me started on an eight year sunset or a exemption just because your old (I am old and there are lots of people that need an exemption more the me)
how about that slick promotional mailer the city delivered this week artfully messmerizing voters to think the tax is directed to all the hot button issues the council's canned poll uncovered. Your tax dollars at work. Interesting the only time the city mails anything to voters is when it's a stealth tax increase.
Tom Clifford, it's thinking and posting and talking like this that probably cost you your seat on the PC. Their loss, not yours.
646 Stealth. Now there's a quality you rarely hear a politician brag about. Uncharacteristic modesty.
Wonder who paid for that mailer? Don't they have to list those expenditures and the source of their funds like a candidate or PAC? File that stuff with the city clerk and elections office? Or is it all under the radar until the county assigns a letter identification, Measure xyz or whatever? Sort of a grace period to do your sleaze in.
city pro-tax mail is considered "public education" (written by the politcial consultant) until county offically posts the question onto the ballot. Offical ballot designation has not occurred.
The mailer was paid for by pacifica taxpayer dollars. This is a city with a fiscal emergency allowing them to jam through the tax increase election but pay for political consultants to con the voters. Go figure.
They need to shove this tax back where they pulled it from. The whole thing is sleazy. From the phony phone poll to the wording of the measure to the lies about where the money will go.
Anonymous 7:56 P.M. Who paid for the mailer: You, me, and every other taxpayer in Town.
Council at the July 8th meeting immediately after approving putting the UUT on the ballot Approved a consultant contract with TBWB Strategies for $10,000 to provide informational activities [the mailer and other things]. Now the legal issue is was that mailer just informational or did it cross over into advocacy (Something neither the City nor the Council can not do.)
Must be getting tired That was supposes to read (Something neither the City nor the Council can do)
The whole thing is repugnant. So much so that we should probably worry about what type of individuals we have in office. A couple of them act as if the ends justify the means, any means. That's habit-forming.
So the mailer had to be thought up before the council voted on the uut tax? Hmmmmmm
917anon So it sounds like there is a grace period where the city can spend public funds, organize and advocate for this POS tax measure. I think I may have heard that mentioned somewhere by Stone or Nihart or Rhodes. Bet the consultants led off with that little nugget. That doesn't make it right, but it does show the contempt some members of Council have for the voters. Enormous egos and contempt.
I sure hope there are lots of LTE against this garbage. Stressing that the funds can be spent on anything council wants including salaries and benefits for 8 long years and there are no guarantees against cuts to services and programs. None whatsoever. Older voters will definitely remember the fire suppression tax bait and switch council pulled off a few years ago. Different council now but the same scam. Lot of older voters read the Trib.
I am voting yes on the UTT tax. Landline is not as popular and the revenue from that has dropped. We need this tax to help Pacifica. I will do my part and vote in support for this tax. I want Pacifica to do well. Vote Yes.
Mike and Sue are direct and honest What you see is what you get.You may not agree with them but they don't try to deceive you.Len and Mary Ann truly believe that they know what is best for Pacifica an will do whatever it takes (for good or ill) to reach their goals. Karen bless her heart wants to be a leader but is a follower who may grow into the role of an independent Council Woman but for now is just the extra vote Len and Mary Ann need.
10:53 That didn't seem rehearsed at all. Very authentic.
This tax has nothing, repeat nothing to do with Pacifica "doing well". That would require a miracle. This will be money poured down the salary rat hole while services and programs are cut. Courtesy of an arrogant, out of touch city council that refuses to make long overdue wage cuts and wants the suckers to cover for them.
Anonymous 10:53 Your land line is not currently taxed under the UUT but your PG&E bill is. So unless you are 62 plus and have taken an exemption you are paying 6.5% on that utility. The new expanded UUT will tax your PG&E plus whatever type of telecommunication service you have. I will not tell anyone how to vote but I do want them to know what they are voting for and what they can expect to get for their money.
The money from this tax will go into the general fund and if the City Council finds that they are still shot on funds they can and will cut Senior services,The resource Center, The visitor center and anything else to meet their contracted obligations
That slick political piece from the city far exceeded the $10,000 they are paying the political conster.
Tom
My landline is with Comcast.
I notice between the city franchise fee and the taxes on the bill it works out to 10 bucks and change.
Off about a bill of $140.00 a month.
Actually the tax and franchise fee is $10.48 on a bill of $140.00
I'll have to look at my Comcast bill to see what taxes are on it. The franchise fee is not the UUT the UUT would be an extra charge on any telecommunication services you have with Comcast.
The franchise Fee can go up without a vote of the people.
Franchise fee is $6.90
I really wish the city would open it up for another cable company to compete with Comcast.
It's either Comcast or Dish or Direct TV.
First I have my land line with AT&T
Comcast
Franchise Fee $9.35 goes to the City
PEG Access Support $2.77 ?
State sales tax $0.45 goes to State
FCC user fee $0.08 goes to feds.
internet State sales tax $0.60 Goes to State
I believe a small part of the state sales taxes finds it way back to the City.
Mine breaks down like this
Franchise fee $6.90
PEG access support $2.00
State Sales Tax $.82
FCC user Fee .08
Internet State sales tax $.60
911 fee .08 cents
Then we have on the bill
RRF fees .69 cents
Univ connectivity charge .73 cents
RRF is neither a government mandated tax or a fee imposed on you by the governent but it is retained by Comcast.
Yadda yadda yadda its a junk fee.
Clifford I agree with you about our councilmembers and their character or lack of. Nihart and Stone are bad news. I haven't trusted either one since the police outsourcing charade. You'd think the sad, cautionary tale of Jim Vreeland would have at least registered on Nihart.
Well I voted for this city council and I trust them. That's the way it goes. THE VOTERS VOTED IN THIS COUNCIL. I see progress. I see streets getting repaired. City street lights updated and maintained. Plans for WWTP development. Beach Parking. Business's are surviving in this tough economy, but visitors are on the upswing. Visitors playing on our beaches in on the rise going up spending money eating at restaurants. Hotels are full and busy. Yeah, I will listen to you losers on this blog and believe all is going to hell. Not. We need to repair an upgrade Pacifica streets. A good Police Force for security. I believe this council will get us these things. And a library.
@936 With all due respect, I think you're seeing things through rose-colored glasses. I voted for 3 of the 5. Nothing wrong with being happy with your choices and I don't want to harshen your mellow with a dose of the reality just below the surface. Sweet dreams.
936 Hell yes, this council will
get us those things as long as we're dumb enough to let them keep feeding the bottomless hole of salaries and pensions.
Don't be surprised if it takes all we give and still eats up services and programs we want and need. Then what?
Trust but verify
This tax as a General fund tax can not and does not protect any specific services.
Yes, Tom, and that should be reason enough to vote no. Once this council gets its hands on that money they will spend it on whatever they choose. Salaries, CalPers, consultants, back-filling for lost ERAF funds...it won't last for long.
Has anyone received the city's UUT mailer? I'm curious if they went out to all registered voters or just those in a certain age group? Waiting for mine but my senior citizen neighbors have all received theirs. I'm feeling left out. Maybe Monday?
Ours mailer was address to the three of us
my wife a senior,my daughter 20 something and me another senior. I don't know if one was sent to my son who is now living in South Korea but votes by mail. In our house we all vote every election an take the time to go over the ballot together.
Yeah ours was sent to all three of us too. They saved a lot of money that way. Only thing is the brochure looked like just another piece of junk mail most of which gets thrown out without looking at it. Not very effective.
And how much did this panic hard sale mailer cost?
I would say including design, printing & mailing they cost around .75¢ to $1 each piece. A stupid design didn't even have local pictures to get peoples attention. Just a bunch of stock photos made it look like another piece of junk mail. Probably only 25% got read. Out of those most people were probably confused as to what this was even about.
So yeah, the mailers were a big success (for the no side)
Any registered voter without a senior at the address get one of these mailers addressed to them?
"A stupid design didn't even have local pictures to get peoples attention. Just a bunch of stock photos made it look like another piece of junk mail. Probably only 25% got read. Out of those most people were probably confused as to what this was even about."
I noticed the stock photos, too. The whole mailer was very generic.
I'm still not clear on what specifically is going to be taxed. I have a cell phone (no land-line,) satellite tv, and a wireless internet connection. I saw that satellite tv wasn't going to be charged, but I'm not sure if there are new taxes on the other two.
So someone other than a senior got one? Watching the mailbox. Sounds like it's probably the cheapo budget model paid for by public funds. There will be more for sure. Wonder where the funds for those will come from? Mailers are expensive even if you use those generic ones from Florida.
Do they tax dish or direct tv now?
They do not tax Cable TV, Dish or Direct TV under this version of the UUT. They will tax any type of phone service that you may have, if it is part of a bundle it will be broken out an taxed. So Land lines, Cell phones,fax lines, and Voice over the internet Taxed.
Cable,Dish,Direct T.V. and your internet service not taxed.
PG&E Taxed
Everything is taxed. Just because it is not on the UUT list does not mean it is not taxed. People are dropping cable, dish, landline, internet, keeping cell w/internet capabilities. Mostly the under 30 crowd. Time to tax them. Oh, and the people that keep getting laid off. Times are changing.
Thanks Tom
But you are exempt if your a senior on the pge tax right?
I know people who had to sell their car. Could not afford gas. So there goes that tax. Sure happy that we got the teachers a raise by all of us supporting teachers and charging those evil landowners. It's good to be a teacher. The commies will always support indoctrination.
You only get the senior exemption if you apply for it. Actually, I think you'd have to apply for two...one for the existing UUT and one for the proposed UUT amendment adding telecommunication technology (cell phones). Council has stressed they are separate taxes. The exemption is not automatic and even if you've had it up til now, it will not just magically exempt you from this new tax. Haha, that's for sure!
The brain trust behind this scam knows that at least 15% of the voters most likely to vote in a low-turnout election are seniors. Probably more if voting patterns run true. Few have ever taken the exemption. If they all now claim the exemption on both parts of the UUT the city will not get its $1,075,000 in new funds. Oops.
So, I wouldn't expect the senior exemption to be the show piece of the campaign. More like, mums the word. Easier for them to use fear and misleading statements about where the money will go.
@411 Tom, as you probably know, these UUT measures have become multi-part deals. First they tax some utilities. Hardly anyone notices. Then with telecommunication technology changing rapidly, they roll out modernization measures to keep it legal and in compliance with federal laws. Most of those measures pass because they're sold to voters as a way to protect endangered basic services. Buyer beware, right? The next step is adding CATV and other video tech. Typically, cities wait a few years before taking that step. I believe they can put it to the voters prior to the end of any sunset clause. The sales pitch is a lower overall rate if CATV, etc. is added. They can afford to lower the overall rate because CATV is the big enchilada of UUTs. They'll still collect more money. If this passes, the days are numbered til they return for the TV. It's very clear that when this council, or rather its sub-committee, thinks of revenue, we taxpayers are the first thing that pops into their minds.
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