> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Opponents to be included in new parcel tax discussions - URL: https://www.smdp.com/opponents-to-be-included-in-new-parcel-tax-discussions/ - Published: 2002-11-25T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T00:59:58.000Z - Author: Andrew Fixmer - Tags: Government & Politics, Malibu, #archive-import *Troubled school district recalls tax committee* The board members of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District still want the public’s money. Even though a $300 parcel tax measure failed at the ballot box this month, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified school board signaled Thursday it will offer another measure to the voters to fend off a budget crisis. The board recalled a committee to investigate and propose a parcel tax measure the financially troubled school district could place before voters as early as March for a special election. Like a previous parcel tax committee the school board convened earlier this year, the new one will consist of residents, community activists, teachers, administrators, union leaders and business interests. However, this time school board members more than doubled the number of people on the committee from about a dozen members to close to 30 members. Some board members and residents also want to include opponents of the parcel tax to be named as committee members, reasoning that the revised measure should make an attempt to pacify opponents’ concerns. “I believe we need these voices and people need to understand all the legal options,” said Louise Jaffe, a Santa Monica resident long-involved in school district activities. “And to do that I think we would want to hear from those (opponents) as well.” Board members Michael Jordan and Pam Brady agreed, adding to reach 67 percent voter approval for a parcel tax, the school district cannot afford to have detractors. “We can’t believe we can leave anyone out of the discussions and still think we can reach that level (of voter approval),” said Jordan. “This is a parcel tax for a unified school district and it has to take a unified approach.” If the measure’s detractors refuse to participate, the board asked the new parcel tax committee to set up a sub-committee to interview opponents and report back to the full membership so those concerns can be included. But some who vocally argued against the school district’s previous $300 parcel tax said the school district must first exhaust all possible funding sources before turning to voters for higher taxes. “As long as there are other ways to raise money, it will only hurt the chances of any future parcel tax’s success,” said Don Gray, a resident who opposed the previous parcel tax measure. “How can you convene a parcel tax (committee) if you don’t know what you need first? Or where you can get funding from alternative sources before trying to see how the parcel tax fits into the equation,” he said. “That’s where they screwed up last time. They put the cart before the horse. And the voters knew it.” Gray said the school district needs to look at getting a cut of taxes collected on hotel rooms, raising its leases with the Double Guest Suits Hotel — which is built on district land — and Santa Monica College. SMC rents the Madison Campus from the district. He said since the school district is moving forward with a parcel tax again without trying to raise its revenues first, any new parcel tax will be defeated again. “It shows they have the same head in the sand mentality that produced the first parcel tax,” Gray said. “If they think it’s just selling a tax measure to the residents, they are missing the bigger picture.” “If they are still not going to look at those options and see how to make the parcel tax more attractive, then they are not playing with a full deck and not using all the resources available to them,” he added. Throughout the past year, a precipitous decline in education funding from the state Legislature, and a substantial increase in the cost of health insurance and retirement benefits, sent the school district into an economic tail spin. Immediate reductions close to $5 million were executed, and the City of Santa Monica gave the school district a onetime grant of $1.5 million, in addition to the annual $3 million it gives. However, to address the $5 to $6 million in estimated budget deficits next year — again due to a drop-off in state funding — the district decided it must win approval from the voters for a new parcel tax, which levies a fee on each land owner of the (TK) parcels in Santa Monica and Malibu. About six months ago, the school district convened a parcel tax committee to investigate the community’s desire for quality educational programs and the extent residents said they would pay to support education. While the school district calculated it would only need a new parcel tax between $200 to $225 to stave off deep educational cuts, a poll taken by the parcel tax committee found likely voters willing to approve a $300 tax. Administrators and school board members said reaching for the higher number would stave off future parcel tax increases and protect the school district’s economic future. They put a parcel tax on the Nov. 5 ballot, Measure EE, that asked for the higher number. However, the measure narrowly failed to win the 67 percent voter approval needed for a parcel tax increase to take effect. Instead, the measure achieved nearly 61 percent voter approval. The loss of the parcel tax sent the school district back to making severe cuts to balance its budget, which had again hit deficits due to a falloff in state funding. On Thursday, Nov. 22, the school board approved initial cuts close to $1.5 million, and at least $800,000 more may be cut by Jan.1. Even though the district is desperate for funds, superintendent John Deasy said he would prefer any proposed parcel tax measure not share the same ballot with an initiative proposing to make historic designation a voluntary process for homeowners. The special election for the historic designation measure could possibly take place in March. He said voters would go to the polls angry, which wouldn’t help the district’s measure. “Let’s have this prepared as soon as possible,” he said, “and hopefully be the only measure on the ballot.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 25, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/112502.pdf?ref=smdp.com)