Ad Hoc Tuah, Part Two-ah
One week ago, true to form, the City created the “ad hoc” finance committee proposed by Councilperson Shana Charles to study Fullerton’s financial fiasco – an ocean of red ink.
The vote was 3-2.
Councilman Fred Jung who supported this proposal spoke of “resident input” as if that were something never tried before.
Ahmad Zahra pretended to be of two minds regarding this committee, citing earlier, phony push polls as proof of Fullerton’s thirst to be taxed more. But he was really all for it – gotta keep the sales tax idea on a burner. He virtually admitted that a tax was his goal.
Predictably in her comments, Charles gushed at Fullerton’s untapped well of civilian brainpower (why goodness, two actual professors showed up earlier in the meeting!) as a source of brilliant budget-closing ideas. Of course she misused the term “holistic” several times, but, whatever.
At first Bruce Whitaker offered that he had no objection to this committee, per se, but pointed out that previous fiscal ideas presented by the so-called INRAC citizen’s panel had been ignored by the City Council.
This idea was echoed by Mayor Nick Dunlap, who pointed out the obvious – that this committee had no other purpose than to keep the dream of a sales tax increase alive. He opined that it was City staff’s job to come up with ideas and plans for fiscal sustainability (a euphemism coughed up by Charles) presented to the City Council. This of course is the way it should be, although the irony that his staff failed miserably at this very task over the past year seemed to have escaped the notice of our mayor.
Dunlap’s statements convinced Whitaker to oppose creation of the committee.
Charles responded to her colleagues, by disingenuously acknowledging her recognition that a sales tax increase was not inevitable, a completely irrelevant observation intended to prove her “holistic” bona fides.
A lady named Maureen Milton called in, wanting some reassurance that the meetings of the committee would be open to the public.
Our esteemed City Manager quickly muttered that the meetings would be noticed and public, but whether that half-hearted affirmation will be effected remains to be seen.
And so Fullerton has another of its footling and futile committees, five souls, one appointed by each councilmember. This is all being uber-rushed so that appointments will be made a week from today, on August 20th, so that the sales tax solution indoctrination can begin as soon as possible.
Ah, the age-old Fullerton response: there is Fullerton Jr. College or Cal State Fullerton talent we can put to work on this!!
Yes, that was a Buck Catlin specialty. We are an academic Camelot.
Zahra and Charles are both hauk tuah all over Fullerton’s thang and Fullerton taxpayers. Ya get me?
Leavitt is one of those people who as soon as they open their mouth you lose all confidence in them.
Fullerton being Fullerton.
Sadly, true. And then the clown sitting next to him starts marble-mouthing with the worst legal advice money can buy.
I have a better idea than raising taxes. How about raising Fullerton real estate values to increase the property tax base? Oh no, that won’t work in Fullerton because that would mean that Code Enforcement would have to do their job. Forget it.
Ahaha. Code Enforcement? The Kitty Cannabis is your candidate.
Fix the goddamn roads.
Cut out the water in-lieu fee and use the millions to repair water mains.
That’ll improve real estate values – although the City won’t get much back.
People have been misusing the word holistic for so long that the misuse is now standard practice.
Those two “professors” were dredged up out of nowhere by Shana Charles to pitch keeping Wilshire Avenue closed. Neither one knew what they were talking about, just blathering generalities about Europe, and suchlike.
There will be more of them every meeting until the 3 months are up.
I think we need to address the mammoth in the room when it comes to city funding—Prop 13.
My theory is that after Prop 13 government agencies started relying on ever more byzantine ways of raising revenue. Non-residential properties should be excluded. I doubt if that would happen.
In the meantime, the pig is working its way through the snake – the massive, retroactive pension spike given to public employees, mostly cops and paramedics 20 years ago. When these people and their spouses die off things will get better. But that’s a long way off.
Non-residential properties are a big part of the problem. Sure, residential benefits have been absurdly extended to successive generations, but at least the inheriting owners are mortal. Can’t say that about a lot of large landowning businesses (just look at what Disneyland pays in property taxes). Many of us are, essentially, subsidizing large businesses (and small) through our non-Prop 13 property tax rates.
I can’t wait to see what braindead boobs get stacked onto this venture.
If they were serious they’d ask the most tax hostile people and give them the purview to look at the entire budget.
Put the most annoying libertarians on the committee. Better yet, make it the Fullerton Taxpayers for Reform committee.
One thing is certain, nobody appointed to the committee will know anything about finance or accounting and a maximum of 25% will even know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
I can’t imagine Zahra or Charles appointing anybody but pro-tax ideologues.
Whitaker’s appointment will be replaced by Cannabis Kitty if she were to win.
Bruce could appoint Linda, and if she wins, she could appoint him.
Ah, the old switcheroo.
If Jabba in Ray-Bans wins, she will appoint some Outer Rim muscle to creatively and violently eliminate anyone who does not support a large tax increase!