As if we didn’t already know, here is yet further evidence that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors never met a tax they didn’t like.  When the 2009-2010 budget ballooned to $6.8 billion (more than the budget of many states), it included a deficit of nearly $500 million.  Circulating around the Board of Supervisors is a proposal to declare an emergency that would enable a special election in June to decide on new tax proposals and quietly dispense with many regulations that govern elections in San Francisco.  In effect, opposition to the new taxes would be stifled.  City employee unions, who are currently polling the concept to determine support for it, are funding the proposed ordinance.  It seems that the union believes that the residents of San Francisco exist for the convenience of the employees of the city, rather than the other way around.
 
Fortunately, to implement the emergency provisions, 100% of the Supervisors must vote in favor of it.  If anyone votes “no”, then any election must abide by the standard regulations.  San Francisco residents must contact their Supervisor immediately and let him or her know that you oppose the declaration of an emergency.  If a special election to decide on new taxes is to be held, it should be held under the existing rules to enable all sides of the debate to be fairly heard.
 
The new taxes to be proposed are wide ranging, including:

Sales tax:  Increase 0.5 to 9 percent.

Payroll tax:  Increase 0.2 to 1.7 percent.

Residential utility user’s tax:  A new tax of 7.5 percent.

Commercial utility user’s tax:  Increase 2.5 to 10 percent.

Parcel tax:  A new tax of $300 for residential, $1,000 for commercial.

Residential, commercial rental income taxes:  A new tax of 0.127 percent.

Tax on all commercial transactions:  A new tax of 0.1 percent.

Parking tax surcharge:  Increase 5 to 30 percent.

Contrary to the current philosophy of the Supervisors, there is another way to balance a budget.  It’s called cutting expenses.  They would do well to take a lesson from California Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner.  By streamlining and increasing efficiencies at the Department of Insurance over the past 18 months, Poizner has made a permanent 10% reduction in the department’s budget, without terminating employees, cutting salaries or cuts in services.
 
The San Francisco city budget can be brought under control by increasing efficiencies and reducing the vast number of set asides that exist.  If the Board of Supervisors and the city employee unions are successful in implementing the array of new taxes suggested, about the only thing left untaxed in San Francisco will be the air we breathe – and that will only be until they figure out a way to tax that, too!
 
Please contact your Supervisor to let them know that you oppose the emergency declaration, as well as the imposition of the new taxes.