ACTION Apartment Association - OPINION -- City Held Tax Revenues Hostage, School District Left Millions on the Table

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OPINION -- City Held Tax Revenues Hostage, School District Left Millions on the Table

OPINION -- City Held Tax Revenues Hostage, School District Left Millions on the Table

05/15/2018 8:40 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Nikki Kolhoff and Ann Thanawalla

May 14, 2018 -- In 2016, Santa Monica residents generously voted to increase our taxes to support affordable housing and our public schools.

Although the combined measures (GS/GSH) were “advisory” transaction and use taxes, voters were told to trust our City Council to pay the revenue over to the School District. Both measures passed and in each case voters told our government to give half of these tax increases to our public schools.

Despite this clear mandate from the voters and the legal ability for the City to pay the tax revenues over to the School District, the City wanted more.