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Supervisor candidates argue over proposition 13

September 29, 2014

prop 13By KAREN VELIE

The latest skirmish in the contentious battle for San Luis Obispo County’s District 4 Supervisor seat is over the meaning of Proposition 13.

Caren Ray and Lynn Compton are battling for what is considered the swing seat on the board. Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Ray last year after Supervisor Paul Teixeira died of a heart attack.

Ray and Compton have battled over illegally placed signs, signs on vehicles, special interest allegations and claims that a fundraiser serving “hobo stew” was a slap in the face of the homeless.

The candidates’ latest disagreement is over a Feb. 11 board of supervisors’ vote to approve a legislative platform that included paying lobbyists to promote legislation at the state level that would lower the 2/3 voter approval to increase sales tax to a simple majority vote. Caren Ray voted alongside Supervisors Bruce Gibson, Adam Hill and Frank Mecham in approving the legislative platform.

In response to the vote, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) endorsed Lynn Compton for supervisor. The association is named after the author of proposition 13, which limits property taxes to 1 percent of a home’s value and requires a 2/3 voter approval for special taxes, including sales tax.

Ray’s vote was an attempt to chip away at Proposition 13, Compton said.

Ray fired back in a letter to the editor of the Tribune, saying she had never voted to raise taxes and has fully supported Proposition 13. Ray claimed Compton was being untruthful, noting that only the state legislature can lower the 2/3 required special tax approval. Ray said Compton was attempting to spread misinformation.

During a trip to San Luis Obispo County last week, HJTA President Jon Coupal said Ray was “simply wrong” in her claim that Proposition 13 dealt only with property taxes.

“For someone (Ray) to deny that this was an anti-taxpayer, anti-Proposition 13 resolution is simply not true,” Coupal said. “It matters because there is the potential of having someone elected who is not a Proposition 13 advocate and the potential for having someone like Lynn Compton who is a very strong defender of Proposition 13.”

In response to Coupal statments, Ray said on the Dave Congalton Show, that she voted for lowering the required 2/3 vote to raise sales tax in an attempt to raise money to repair and improve county roads.

By raising the sales tax rate, Ray said the burden for funding roads would not fall on the backs of homeowners, but would be partially paid by tourists who also use the roadways.

Ray said she wouldn’t be a homeowner without Proposition 13, which she said she was in favor of.

Coupal disagreed saying Ray’s vote “can only be characterized as an anti-Proposition 13 vote.” Instead of voting for for more taxes, government should promote economic growth and control spending, Coupal said.

“There is always an effort by local government for more money,” Coupal added. “The biggest spender for lobbying is not oil, tobacco or alcohol – it is local government.”

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The election for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors is NOT about Prop. 13, or ‘cutting regulations’.

It is about local representation, period.


Lynn Compton conflates these two second buzzword, generic and unrelated issues in an attempt to fool misinformed and often paranoid voters.

This masks her true agenda of being a toadie and rubber stamp for big-money and Ag interests ….special interests that are NOT necessarilly to the benefit of all of her proposed constituents.

I am only mildly surprised that Compton has not come out against the minimum wage as some kind of communist plot !


Look past the phony histrionics, the incendiary rabble-rousing, and the hodge-podge, watered-down ‘hobo stew’ that Compton cooks up and doles out.


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Caren Ray voted to have TAXPAYER money spent on LOBBYING the STATE LEGISLATURE to reduce the voting requirement on PROP 13 issues from 2/3 majority to 55%. Ray is quoted as having said “this would give us access to the crown jewels”. I am assuming that Ray meant “us” to be the government and the “crown jewels” to be extorting more money from taxpayers. I could be wrong but I don’t know how else to interpret it.


To me, how you are going to view taxpayer funds in any election is the most important issue.


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Can we all assume you can only process those facts that fit into your Caren Ray colored view of the world.


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You can ASSume all you want, but the issue is not about Caren Ray.


It IS about Lynn Compton exploiting a phony polemic that has nothing to do with a county supervisor’s race or responsibilities.


I’ll politely call her a trouble maker.

My Dad would have called her something else less polite


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I’m not convinced Aren really cares about property taxes. Since her home was deemed historically significant before she left our city council, she pays peanuts for property taxes. Why should SHE care? I don’t buy her phony concern any more than I believe our City Manager’s tea party story.


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We need to elect new leadership that will provide Tax and Rate Relief for all our communities.


When you see the rapid increase in Property Taxes and Rents during this prolonged recession the last thing we need is more New Tax Increases.


The question in November is how many New Tax Increases can you Afford ?


1. Property Tax Increases = Rental Increases

2. Automatic Water and Sanitation Rate Increases $$$

3. SLO New Sales Tax Increase

4. SLO School New Tax Increase

5. Cuesta College New Tax Increase

6. Pismo Beach New Sales Tax Increase

7. Atascadero New Sales Tax Increase

8. Arroyo Grande New Sales Tax Extension

9. Arroyo Grande Charter City Vote $$$

10. Grover Beach Road Tax $

11. South County Sanitation New Rate Increase $$

12. Oceano CSD Automatic New Water Rate Increases

13. Nipomo 30% Automatic New Water and Pipeline Tax Increase

Please Vote in November

Support Tax and Automatic Rate Relief Candidates


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“When you see the rapid increase in Property Taxes and Rents during this prolonged recession …”


Well, you’re right about rents going up, but wrong about property taxes. During the recession assessors actually lowered taxes because property values went down below their Prop 13 base level, so assessments on which taxes are based also went down. Maybe you’re confused because as property values went up after the recession, assessments went back to the Prop. 13 base level, so it felt like taxes were “going up” when actually they were only going back to where they would have been under Prop 13 if there had been no recession.


The rents went up because of good old fashioned capitalist greed, not because of anything government did or didn’t do.


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They didn’t just lower your property taxes. they made you beg and jump through hoops to get them lowered. You had to prove your property values had decreased by using sales of similar property. Kind of hard when nothing was selling. You are right about them raising the property taxes back to original monetary level…….because the recession is over. Try telling that to the people who are unemployed and businesses that are still having to close their doors….


Rents go up when there is a demand.


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Rents go up when landlords demand it.


The USA is now living in a SLAVERY state..


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And you are your own slave master…your world view has trapped you my friend. Let go of your hate and rage before it consumes you.


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Rents go up because property tax does go up (1% of your property value at the time of purchase and then that tax increases by 2% per year thereafter) along with insurance, utilities, etc. that may be paid by the owner.


Most landlords wants to maintenance their property and this comes at an increase in costs annually (plumbing, electrical, water heater, paving, trees and other miscellaneous costs). These costs come at the expense of the person occupying the rental. The landlord is being taxed by the government and therefore that too must be passed on.


Everyone knows that costs never get locked in for life!


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Easy….just order your purchases online from out of State and scew the tax hike bastards.


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Great idea. Keep buying from the non-taxpaying mega corporations and put your local small business out of business because they have to charge you sales tax.


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Anyone who supports changing the requirement to raise any tax to a simple majority from the current 2/3s super majority is in favor of increased taxes. To try and say it is only sales tax and those taxes are mostly paid by other people is just garbage. I hope the people are smart enough to see Caren Ray for who she is…just another go along with the tax and spend democrat platform. Unfortunately there are so many government employees now that they will probably elect her and get what they all want….a raise for themselves.


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Blah….Blah…Blahhh….Caren Ray, just a bag of hay. Lynn Compton is our only hope of breaking up the sideshow/circus we currently have on our BOS. Excluding Ms. Arnold and Mr Meacham. Well we used to have a bit of respect for Meacham. Any word on Ms. Rays thoughts on the current fiasco in Arroyo Grande? Noticed she pulled some names off her list of supporters. Imagine that!


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That’s the thanks our black-eyed city council gets. They endorse Caren and she drops ‘me like a hot rock the minute another big smelly situation comes along. She’s trying to win her first election, who needs those anchors?


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If civilized society ( I know that concept is abstract to you and others here ) would tax accumulated wealth, then taxes to the 80% or more of the rest of the population would be be reduced.

Substantially.


WHY don’t you get it ?

You continue to serve your slavemasters, and be willing pawns in their schemes and wars.

The only conclusion anyone could formulate is that you must be willing masochists.

Do you like being slaves ?


I come to no other conclusion.

YES, you enjoy being complicite slaves.

Why else would any of you object to a 50% + 1 majority rule… for taxes or anything else ?


I think you Republicans just do not care for democracy or civilization.


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Oh big brother….


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Folks pay attention to what this nice honest Democrat just said about the Dems War on Success. This is a look into their brain and why Mz Ray wants to gut prop 13….the LiberLs want your money…and will stop at nothing to get it.


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stop at nothing! people it is important! if the socialist agenda gets its way we could get stuck with the sort of economic conditions endured by workers under Eisenhower.


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Taxes to government is like blood to a vampire. It’s required for their existence and they always need more.


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SO…do you believe in government ?


Or do you believe in vampires ?


Government has been a requisite to civilization for about 2,000 years…maybe more.


Vampires are a myth.


Want to debate ?


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How stupid does Caren Ray think we are. More money for road repairs. Lets get rid of Caltran, and have some competitive bids from private Companies. It’s all about government pay, benefits, and pensions……


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She thinks we are as stupid as the same people that voted for Bruce Gibson, Adam Hill, Mayor Jamie Irons of Morro Bay. That is how stupid Caren Ray is.


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Oh I forgot to add to the list Tony, Mr. Mayor of Arroyo Grande, Mayor Jamie Irons of Morro Bay’s role model and mentor.


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Private companies? Who do you think does work for Caltrans? It’s all put out to bid, and is done by private companies.


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By the way, the board of supervisors has nothing to do with Caltrans. That’s a state agency, not a county one.


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They are all painted with the same brush….


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Phony ‘conservatives’ always paint themselves / try to hide their own unvarnished truth, with an imagined brush of invisibility.


You hide from no-one, except the incontrovertabilly stupid.


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nice libertarian idea…..and Caren Ray is very smart, she is extremely smart when it comes to manipulating perceptions. i see right through that though.


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Has Paul Teixeira’s family or any of his previous supporters publically backed either Ray or Compton? Just wondering.


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Just checked http://www.lynncompton.com website and scrolled down the endorsement page and saw that there were Teixeira supporters listed.


This shows that members of the Ag community support Lynn Compton.


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Well of course! Teixeria was a stand up man, and Lynn Compton is a hard working stand up woman! I live in Morro Bay but have many relatives and friends down in district 4. And they are voting to save our county. (voting for Lynn Compton) It is not just about district 4. She will add a voice of reason and truth to our current County BOS. Something we have not seen from Gibson or Hill. We are so sick of their antics and drama filled lives. Waiting to get back to business!


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Thanks, justthefacts. I assumed so but wasn’t sure.


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You betcha, the Ag community as well as just us plain ‘ol ordinary south county residents. Imagine losing Paul and having him replaced by Caren Ray. Hopefully we can recover on Nov 4. We do not need a full term of Hill, Gibson & Ray.


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SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE !


Jes’ like Gomer Pyle ! YEEHAW !


Big money AG , with all of their socialistic subsidies supports money-grubber COMPTON.


OH WOW ! What a SHOCK !

Millionaire tax grabbers supporting Comptom.


WHAT a revelation !


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Did you miss the ordinary folks? We’re not all millionaires down here, what a stupid assumption. We’re just trying to make a mortgage and get the kids through school like a lot of other people.


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It will not be the ordinary folks that she will be serving.


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On this issue I do not listen to the sharp tongues, the fact is that tax dollars are competatitive at budget time and all agencies want more. So, when it comes to voting for a tax increase just who are the voters? Government employees/contractors and everyone else, that’s right and if 55% was the decisive vote, why even have a vote when the conflict of interest is so heavily loaded in favor of the pro-government vote yes yes yes sector.


When I move here in 71 there were no good jobs unless you could get one with the city, county, state or feds. This is why a 2/3 majority is very important, 55% would allow for a simple formality election everytime gov wanted more money.


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Exactly right, Jorge. Except I do not think anyone here (except someone like bob) would need that explained. Instead, what the government is hoping they have is enough people who do NOT pay much (if any) in the way of taxes; rather, they hope to have more “on the system” instead of providing for the system. That way, all tax increases look good.


Just take a look at where the “Yes on G” signs are posted: people and places who depend upon government largess for their income.


So what we have to worry about is not if Ray will be a big tax-and-spend puppet of the democrat machine (she’s already proved that); instead, we should worry that enough tax leeches will not see this as a personal windfall, sticking it “those greedy capitalists” who actually provide the income that is redistributed to them (i.e. spitting in the plate they eat from).


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Remember that a vote for Caren Ray is a vote for Adam Hill and Bruce Gibson.


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And, apparently, Frank Mecham!


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True, unlisted. Mecham’s vote is quite surprising. But the longer you sit alongside the lunacy and socialism of Hill and Gibson, I guess the more one loses one’s respect for, and grasp of, freedom and low taxation. I am sad to see Mecham slip.


Vote Compton!


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Maybe Mr. Mecham is wanting to become the new swing vote, hopefully after Lynn replaces Ms. Ray, the board will be Hill Gibson on one side Arnold Compton on the people’s side with Frank as the swing vote. Someone just needs to warn him if Hill wants to have tea with him one night to discuss something.


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lol! kayaknut!, you keep me entertained between procedures.


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Nurse,


If you are involved with urological surgery, please keep your eye on theball. Proctology? How many politicians have you seen?


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Maybe the nurse meant she was undergoing procedures, perhaps a ASH.


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A vote for Lynn Compton is a vote for millionaire used-car salesmen that don’t even live in SLO County.


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