Club supports sales tax increase
WILSHIRE BLVD Two separate costly bids to increase local taxes this fall will go into the crucial final months of the election season with the Democratic stamp of approval.
More than a week after endorsing candidates for the four local races, the Santa Monica Democratic Club on Wednesday voted to back Propositions AA and R, the $295 million Santa Monica College bond measure and countywide sales tax increase for transportation projects, respectively.
While the debates for the two measures were extensive, in the end the decision was never close, both receiving well over the 60 percent of membership votes necessary for support.
The club’s executive committee did not present any recommendations for either measures.
The college bond, which would require 55 percent approval for passage, would fund capital projects designed to improve teaching at the aging campus, replacing outdated buildings, many of which date back to the 1950s. If passed, the average home or condominium owner would pay $7 a month and $1 a month for renters, with the cost distributed over both the Santa Monica and Malibu communities.
“Santa Monica is a community extremely supportive of education and it’s not going to let its educational institutions fall behind for neglect,”said Rob Rader, the chairman of the Board of Trustees.“There are huge problems with infrastructure with California statewide and thankfully we live in a community that has the foresight to say that while we may be fine right now, what about in five years?”
The bond has faced resistance by residents in the Sunset Park neighborhood where the college is located, many of whom have complained for years about the growth of the campus and traffic it brings.
A group of these residents recently formed the Bond Fatigue Committee Against Measure AA, led by long-time resident and SMC employee, Phil Hendricks.
Hendricks, who works in fiscal services at the college, has argued that more attention needs to be paid to students in the public school district, pointing out that 90 percent of black and Hispanic students at Santa Monica High School are not proficient in math.
Meanwhile approximately 80 percent of SMC students are from outside of the city, Hendricks has stated.
“This bond is not about education, it’s not about students in Santa Monica,” Hendricks said during the Democratic Club meeting. “It’s not about education in Santa Monica.”
The measure’s supporters argue that the bond is needed to improve a campus that gives opportunities to socio-economically disadvantaged students who might not otherwise have a chance to get a college education, a point that was disputed by Hendricks who pointed out that there are 10 other high-quality junior colleges in the Los Angeles area.
The pro-measure campaign, which was represented by political consultant Denny Zane, said supporting the bond would be in line with the progressive Democratic tradition.
“It will provide a gateway to those who can’t afford,” Zane said of the bond.
Sales tax measure gets nod A measure that perhaps faces a bigger challenge is Proposition R, which would need approval from 66 percent of voters in the county to pass.
The proposal would increase the county sales tax from 8.25 to 8.75 percent, raising approximately $40 billion over the next 30 years.
The money would fund initiatives by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, including the long-anticipated Subway to the Sea and Exposition Light Rail as well as various highway and transit projects.
The measure has already faced opposition by the Bus Riders Union, a civil rights organization that advocates on behalf of the transit-dependent. The BRU has spoken out against similar sales tax increases in the past.
Esperanza Martinez, an organizer with the union, said the goal of the BRU is to create a first-rate bus system and that the sales tax revenue would not accomplish that end.
She said the focus should instead be placed on creating bus-only lanes along major corridors like Wilshire Boulevard, which she believes would pull people out of their cars.
“We are not going to tax our way out of traffic,” she said.
Zane, who chairs the Subway to the Sea Coalition, pointed out that those who ride the buses make up the same group who would one day ride rail projects into and out of Santa Monica, including Expo, which would begin in Downtown L.A. and terminate at the Sears Auto lot at Colorado Avenue and Fourth Street.
“It will be one of the heavily used light rail systems in the country,” Zane said.
He added that while the bus-only lane might seem like a good idea, it could have a negative effect of causing more traffic.
Both sides did agree that it would be ideal if the bus and rail systems could work together hand-in-hand. Esperanza said the union would be more willing to support the sales tax increase if the MTA had a better record of supporting bus causes.
Esperanza said she was under the impression that the majority of people in attendance at the meeting were in opposition to the tax measure and was surprised by the final outcome.
“We will continue to campaign, going to different parts of L.A. to let folks know the dangers of Measure R,” she said.
Proposition T, which would impose a cap on commercial growth, and a proposal to modernize the telecommunications portion of the Utility User Tax, will both be discussed on Sept. 24 at St. Anne’s Catholic Church.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.