Letters to the Editor: L.A. County voters made a big mistake passing Measure A for taxes
The voters of Los Angeles County made an overwhelming mistake passing Measure A to fund future schools in the county when they voted for taxes on the rich.
The measure will be an unprecedented tax on the very wealthy of the city of Los Angeles.
In addition, Proposition A will take in huge amounts of unneeded money that cities, counties and school districts use to fund public education, leaving a large deficit.
Measure A has already taken in more than two-thirds of the needed funds. Yet, the measure contains a hidden tax. If you look under the current tax, you will find a tax on homeowners that is not needed because it can be raised without raising tax rates.
The real problem is Measure A needs to be repealed and voters shouldn’t be asked to support this tax.
Los Angeles County School Superintendent Bill Roach, who helped develop Measure A, is quoted as having said, “Measure A is a tax increase for the well off. Measure A is a tax increase for the rich.”
Measure A’s passage makes a mockery of a campaign promise in 1988 by then state Sen. Don Perata and now Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl to reduce the taxes on wealthy homeowners – the biggest tax increase the county has ever seen.
Measure A raised property taxes on wealthy owners in Los Angeles County by more than $6,000 to pay for a portion of the Measure A bond issue and to fund current school funding. The tax itself, $1.36 per $1,000 of taxable gross assessed valuation of the home, will raise about $40 million a year. If raised for the general public, it would reach $56 million.
Measure A took in more than $45 million for schools in the last budget year.
However, the public schools in Los Angeles County cannot keep operating their classrooms and facilities without funding. The County of Los Angeles will need to borrow in excess of $4.5 billion to balance the budget because the current tax system does not provide enough revenue to pay for public education.
No other county in America has had to borrow that much