A lonely tax-hating leper
By John Horgan
Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 5:47 am in Uncategorized.
In San Mateo County these days, there is nothing quite so out of place as a politician who opposes the notion of raising taxes _ and then acts on it. From Daly City south to the Palo Alto border, it is simply routine to listen to elected officials moan about the state of their budgets. Their solution, more often than not, is to propose some sort of new and creative tax hike, whether on commercial sales or on property. Not so Matt Grocott in San Carlos. He’s just feisty enough to say no. And, naturally, he is regarded as a Peninsula pariah for taking that stand. Branded as a lone wolf, an impediment, an obstacle to progress and what is purported to be “good government,” Grocott, a member of the San Carlos City Council, is bristling at a plan to take the easy path to a sales tax boost in that pleasant community. His four council peers reportedly prefer a ballot measure that would require a simple majority for passage, courtesy of the declaration of a “fiscal emergency.” Grocott, always eager to cut expenses in lieu of mandated revenue increases wherever possible, is holding out for a two-thirds threshold combined with appropriate and necessary economies. It is his view that passing taxes ought to be difficult. He’s not a happy camper right now. Then again, he is well known for bucking the tide, for refusing to be a yes man. He takes the consistent position that he represents the public, not the city staff, not the bureaucracy, not the labor unions, not the entrenched interests that dictate policies and practices all along the Peninsula. What a novel concept. Grocott is not going to win any popularity contests among his colleagues. He doesn’t seem to care. And maybe that’s a very good thing in this day and age.
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August 4th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Interesting comments John. What you seem to miss, however, is that San Carlos has been cutting its budget for EIGHT YEARS. There is not much more to cut, unless you want to elimate the police department and use the San Mateo County Sheriff’s department to patrol San Carlos. And, close the parks and tell the parents of Little League and soccer players to go to another city to play. Sorry, but I don’t buy Mr. Grocott’s pious rhetoric about having a higher threshold to pass a tax increase. When it comes to tax issues, the majority no longer rules; one third of the population gets to dictate tax policy to the other two thirds. And finally, did you know that San Carlos only gets 11 cents of every property tax dollar? No other city in the county gets that little. Many cities get double that, or more. We have no parcel tax, no utility user tax, and no supplemental property tax. Our city makes do with less money and employees than virtually any other city on the peninsula. And what will this tax increase cost? How about another 50 cents on $100 of groceries. And do you think someone who can afford a $1,000 diamond ring can afford to pay another $5.00 for it? We’re not talking about a lot of money here. Besides, it should be up to me and the other voters of San Carlos to decide this issue, not Mr. Grocott.
August 4th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
If San Carlos voters believe a governmental entity needs and deserves additional monies, they will vote for them even with a super-majority requirement. The public elementary school district comes to mind immediately. Taxpayers have been generous when it comes to San Carlos schools. And simple majority votes have not been on the table for them. Grocott has been elected and re-elected by the voters of San Carlos. Apparently, they like his stance on taxes and spending. If you don’t, find a way to vote him out of office. He is representing a point of view that is shared by more than a few local citizens.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
You got it exactly right: Matt’s point of view represents “more than a few local citizens.” But more than a few is no where near a majority. I find it a bit ironic that Proposition 13, which started the whole 2/3 majority requirement, did not itself get 2/3 of the vote. It got 65%, but that’s not 66 2/3%. In today’s world it would have failed. The local schools have to get 2/3 because those funds are for specific purposes. Well, what you say may indeed happen, because we as a people only seem to respond in great numbers when the crisis is so bad that there is no alternative. Think the people of Vallejo would have done anything differently if given a chance?
August 5th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
There seems to be an assumption that a majority of San Carlos voters will automatically approve a half-cent sales tax increase. Maybe not. Look at what happened in San Bruno just a few months ago. A similar proposal was on the ballot there and it couldn’t gain a simple majority. And, yes, a two-thirds threshold is much tougher. In spite of our politicians’ ready propensity for boosting taxes (forget about scaling back outrageous, rich public employee pensions that have become a massive collective albatross on budgets throughout California), raising them is very serious business. If San Carlos voters agree to such a move (either by a simply majority or by two-thirds), so be it. But Grocott, love him or loathe him, has every right to stand up for his principles in this matter. He is definitely no hypocrite.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
My whole point was to let the voters decide. I don’t know if it would get a majority either, but the voters should decide. However, a recent survey showed 62% of respondents were favorable to such a tax. I don’t mind Matt standing up for his principles; I just don’t want him standing in the way of an up or down vote. As a 41 year resident of San Carlos, I can tell you that on balance, Mr. Grocott’s positions, in my opinion, have been more often not in the best interests of the city. Ironically, one of the reasons we have the budget problems we do is because Matt was part of the group that forged a fire authority agreement with Belmont that has resulted in San Carlos getting the short end of the deal. By the way, I also hate the ridiculous pensions public employers have, but San Carlos has no control over those. Like many other cities, San Carlos has state and federal mandates that are beyond our control.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Very good points. Stay in touch. Best to you and all of those in San Carlos, one of the gems of the Peninsula.