SLO County voters back tax measures

November 5, 2014

TaxesSan Luis Obispo county voters are showing few signs of tax fatigue.

Voters in the cities of Atascadero, Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo each approved half-cent sales taxes Tuesday. Two school bond measure also passed — one countywide initiative that provides funding to Cuesta College and one that applies just to the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

The cities of San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach both had expiring half-cent sales taxes. San Luis Obispo’s Measure G, which 70 percent of voters supported, will create a new eight-year tax, while Pismo Beach’s Measure I, which garnered 71 percent of the vote, will create a new tax with a 12-year lifespan.

Entering Tuesday’s election, Atascadero was the lone city in the county yet to implement a half-cent sales tax. But, 59 percent of Atascadero voters supported Measure F, which creates a 12-year tax.

A corresponding measure, also approved by voters Tuesday, advises Atascadero’s council to spend the tax revenue on road maintenance. The city is not legally required to do so, though.

Cuesta College’s $275 million bond measure received support from nearly 62 percent of voters. County property owners will now receive annual assessments of $19.45 per $100,000 of assessed value. Cuesta officials said they will use the money for campus repairs and upgrades.

In the San Luis Obispo, Los Osos and Morro Bay areas, 71 percent of voters backed San Luis Coastal’s $177 million bond measure. The initiative will cost property owners in the district $49 per $100,000 of assessed value, and officials say they will use the funds for campus upgrades at the area’s three high schools.

The fate of one bond measure in the county remains undecided. At the conclusion of Tuesday night’s vote count, 66.34 percent of voters supported Grover Beach’s bond measure for road repair.

However, thus far, Measure K is narrowly failing because it requires a two thirds vote to pass. If the measure were to succeed, the city would issue up to $48 million worth of bonds, which would cost property owners an estimated average $77.66 annually per $100,000 of assessed value.


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Drink more Kool Aid. You’ll get over it. I can’t wait until Compton does something to benefit all. You will be apoplectic. I’ll bet even some you right wingers voted for ALL those tax increases in SLO County. Gee, I wonder if this will “Hidden due to low comment rating.”?


Not sure about “Hidden due to low comment rating” but I would say, “Hard to read due to poor communication.”


I never vote for bonds or taxes, there are enough fools who are easily duped to handle that. Heck, even Marx got a solid landslide victory. That says something about the City of SLO voters… no wonder elected (and non-elected) bureaucrats are so arrogant.


Either a fix is in, or they have the golden 51%… where 51% (or more) are on the take / dependant upon government largess. If that is the case, expect cake and circuses from here on out.


very insightful.


And to think that people called the tea ( taxed enough already ) party for being Neanderthall racists.. Congratulations residents of California for supporting an education system that is a huge bloated failure.


Oh, but if we throw more money at it, we can feel really good about helping the children!


…I need to go put this coexist bumpersticker on my prius (or volvo, or subaru) now…


Sigh. Kalifornians are just a bunch of nincompoops. I still say it has to get worse before the folks really feel it and make changes for the better.


Home ownership just became a little less affordable. And the fixed income retirees that own their home just had their disposable income reduced.


and public servants just became a little richer with a better chance at retirement at the private employee’s expense……


Why does the general public get to vote on issues raising the taxes on property owners? They will always vote for someone else to pay, just as long as it is not them.

Taxes should be in a form that affects all, not just property owners.


I’ll take it a step further. Only property owners should have the right to vote!


Do you seriously believe that tenants don’t pay property taxes??? It’s included in their rent! If taxes increase, rents will surely be increased to cover them.


Residential tenants will pay for this type of marginal cost only if the elasticity of demand allows the property owner to increase prices, which is basic economics. Otherwise the property owner must absorb some or all of the cost.


Right now, that elasticity is really high. The demand for rental housing far exceeds the supply — especially for the lower half of the market. Renters will be hit with those tax increases. The only question is how many of them realized that when they voted.


I seriously believe we have more and more tenants who get all kinds of subsidies, if not in housing, then other places (food, utilities, unemployment, disability, etc).


Too many government checks to too many people. It is not healthy at all.


Do you not understand, if they are a renter, the landlord will just raise rents to cover the increase. The only people not effected would be homless, or should I say Hobo’s….


At least it is not like the FCFA vote where all landowners voted, and city, county, state owned properties, who do not pay property taxes voted for the additional property tax, good thing it failed.


If 100% of the voters in some way benefited by these tax increases then the there would be 100% in favor. This actually works because those who are to busy to get involved or just vote no, don’t vote. So more taxes until all of the voters feel the squeeze and squeeze it will be for the sheep.


What’s amazing is that all the people that voted in these new taxes would not hesitate to cut off a friend or family member that was in constant debt, always needed more money, and never learned to live within a budget.


What makes these people think the same laws of economics don’t apply to government?


SLO may be the happiest place on earth but yesterday it was also the most apathetic place on earth and a place whose populace is as dumb as a box of rocks.


The acceptance of all these tax measures and bonds is going to break the property owners backs.


Bordanaro is licking his chops just thinking about how much your property taxes are going to go up and I guarantee he will be inflating property assessments (with exception of his friends and cronies).


Toryrand is right in stating “these bonds give new meaning to never owning your own home”


Bordonaro claims to be a conservative who is watching our back against exorbent taxation but he is a crooked empty suit.


All of your money is going to go to paying your property taxes in April and December and there will be little left for the holidays or to help support the smaller business including salons and restaraunts.


The public is being filleted with a dull boning knife


Oh crap, $ 49 per 100K assessment on the Los Osos property. That is obscene. Plus the Cuesta cost per property which hits my bleeping ranches. Gold plated bloated salaries.


Cesena returned after costing most Los Osos CSD properties $ 24,933 for killing a going, funded, sensible sewer project.


Capps returned to office .Ferrara returned to office. Gibson returned to office.


Just how stupid/overly-generous/airheaded ARE central coast voters? Sorry, but I disagree with the overspending/overtaxing, and I disagree with the re-electing of proven brainlessagenda-driven losers.


Overall a wonderful day in SLO County, except for that Compton blip, where money truly can buy an election.


Yeah, How dare the voters actually get to pick their representative. Doesn’t everyone know that Governor Brown knows best who should represent them, the nerve of some voters.


Capps spent 55$ per vote!


Better yet a WONDERFUL day in the nation! And I agree a wonderful day in SLO County! We now have a majority on the BOS that are not bullies. Now get back to wiping Jamie Irons behind.


You seem to have some kind of fixation on Irons. Jilted former lover?


these bonds give new meaning to never owning your own home….