I’d support a hard look at Prop 13 property assessments, perhaps increasing the allowable appreciation to 3-4% and even sticking it to the boomers with a rate jack. I won’t budge on the supermajority.

But, I’ll tell you this- I will never vote to ease the hurdles to raise taxes until public employees are forced to concede a whopper and unions as a whole are hamstrung by law. Because in the end, one can never underestimate the Democrats willingness to sell our state’s future down the river for a clicks of political gain.

While Prop 13 has definately placed a limit on the growth in assessed property taxes, it does nothing to prohibit our leaders from returning to the polls to ask for more. . . . and it certainly has NOTHING to do with whether or not a given electorate approves such initiatives.

I suggest politicians stop whining about the problems resulting from Prop 13 and start focussing on what terms will compel taxpayers to part with more of their ever DECREASING disposable income dollars. . . .

A really great start would be by cutting personal incomes and benefits while simultaneously elevating expectations for productivity in the municipal sector(s).

Bring these public servants in line with the same kinds of massive losses in earnings, benefits and income which have been imposed on the private sector for MANY YEARS.

We elect people to the legislature, many of them from local government, and they forget from whence they came. We continue to address the patches with initiatives, which only seem to make the system worse. There is so much wrong that a comprehensive overhaul of our tax/revenue situation must happen, but the legislature bogs down every year and passes the burden onto our kids. And they play musical chairs as they run for another office because of term limits. Fixing the system ought to be the priority of the legislature. Maybe we should float an initiative that says the legislature shall pass no bills until they have solved the government funding problem and that, until they solve it, they can collect no political contributions. Maybe we should add to that, that after a certain period, maybe 3 months, if the problem isn’t solved, 25% of the legislator’s campaign fund is taken by the state, another 25% in six months, and so on, until their campaign fund is broke. Then, they can compete with the challengers with no money. We need to fix the problem!

What’s his naaa- JAIME RICHARDS!
Is he for real?

And while I think teachers are the few city employees who earn every penny, a furlough day is not a pay cut. The pay rate remains the same, the work available changes.

Cities do not have access to income taxes. People are spending less, the state is taking more and property assessments are being shaved for the third year in a row. Whoever has a plan for continuing the status quo, please come forward. In lieu will be these extend and pretend patches to a structural problem.