Santa Paula Council directs staff to study tax increase for November ballot

for sale times; font-size: 16px;”>By Debra Tash

cost times; font-size: 16px;”>A proposal for a tax measure to be placed on the November ballot brought a great deal of contention at tonight’s Santa Paula Council meeting.  Vice Mayor James Tovias wanted a measure for an additional 1% city  sales tax. The 1% increase would be only levied in the city of Santa Paula, and therefore make it the highest sales tax in the county. 
   
He contended that although the crime rate has dropped in Santa Paula the money raised from the tax would be used to hire more police. For him it was a public safety issue.  He explained that a general tax would have to go into the state general fund, but it would only require a simple majority to pass.  A special purpose tax would take two thirds of the city’s electorate to be vote for it but the monies would stay local. He proposed a special purpose tax measure with 60% of the money generated used for police with the remainder used for roads. 
   
Tovias offered to take the lead in getting the ballot measure approved.  However council member Hernandez said he isn’t finding support for this tax in the community.  Mayor Cook said, “We can’t sit here and scare people.”  He commended Chief Police, Steve McLean, for the fine job he’s doing.  But Cook said that officers could be pulled from the special detail units and put back on patrol to ensure public safety. 

Council member Gonzales wanted to see the numbers on a parcel tax as opposed to a sales tax, which could cause people to buy goods outside of Santa Paula. 

The discussion became heated between Mayor Cook and Vice Mayor Tovias, ending when Cook quipped that he had been chastised by Tovias.
   
The proposal failed in a three to two vote.  Then the matter was reintroduced by council member Gonzales for staff to study a 5% tax and 1% tax, either on parcels or on sales over a 5, 10 or 15 year period.  The council voted 4 to 1 in favor, Hernandez voting no, of having staff study this new proposal and bring it back to the council in two weeks.  City Manager James Fontes said they could not get accurate figures in that time-frame.  The council gave him a month to complete the task.

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Debra Tash is Editor-in-Chief of Citizensjournal.us, past president for Citizens Alliance for Property Rights, business executive and award-winning author, residing in Somis