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Pismo Beach was not paying property taxes, activist finds

August 20, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

It appears Pismo Beach is going to be responsible for another cost associated with the controversial recycled water project Central Coast Blue – property tax bills.

Activist Julie Tacker, a vocal critic of the costs associated with Central Coast Blue, discovered Pismo Beach was not paying property tax on two parcels they purchased for the water project. Tacker then reported her findings to Jim Hamilton, San Luis Obispo County’s Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector.

Even though government-owned properties are not generally subject to property taxes, if the property is owned in another jurisdiction, the government agency owning the property is required to pay property tax.

After expending millions of dollars and thousands of hours of time, Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach pulled out of Central Coast Blue. Delays and planning issues resulted in the cost of the project skyrocketing from an estimated $29 million to a current estimate of between $135 million to $158 million.

Pismo Beach is continuing on with the project, but without Grover Beach as a partner, and they will now need to pay property taxes. Portions of the tax go to the state, the county and the City of Grover Beach. More than 30% of Grover Beach’s general fund money is paid through property taxes.

Hamilton and SLO County Tax Assessor Tom Bordonaro looked into Pismo Beach’s tax responsibility. Bordonaro is now reassessing the properties because of the change in ownership, before he sends a notification to City of Pismo.

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This might be city officials plan all along, to get Grover Beach, and eventually Arroyo Grande, back into CCB, even though city residents don’t want it, but when has that stopped officials from doing what they know is right, cough cough.


2

The dirty tricks continue. Pismo Beach owns that property where CCB was going to be put in. Well, now, Pismo Beach intends to carry on with that same plan on their own. Take a look at Grover Beach’s city council doing their best plausible deniability routine in this video starting at 3:08:38.



  1. why should Grover Beach have the burden of taking Pismo’s poop water?

  2. why isn’t Pismo paying property taxes on property they own in Grover?

  3. why would Grover Beach city council allow an operation that makes so much noise and stinks to be located right next to the homeless self help 50 bed facility they just put in?

  4. what effect will all of that well drilling and then water injection have on Pacific Landing’s trans Pacific fiber optic cables and facility that’s 100′ from Pismo’s property?

  5. nightly freight trains literally shake the walls. How long until those injection wells fail from constant shaking?

  6. who is going to make local residents whole again after property values tank?


Methinks the FBI needs to start digging deeply into some politician’s bank records…


2

Was sales transfer tax paid by Pismo Beach and collected by the County Recorder on this purchase and sale?


Was a Preliminary Change of Ownership form completed, executed and filed at the time of sale recordation to disclose the nature of the real property purchase? See California Revenue and Taxation Code 480.3.

https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-rtc/division-1/part-2/chapter-3/article-2-5/section-480-3/


2

MAGA mentality shenanigans as per usual.


-15

So how much tax is unpaid? And what will the tax be after reassessment?


7

Julie. Please take a look at your notes and answer the question. It’s 9 days later. Or post the parcel numbers and I’ll look it up myself. Sorry to be a bit snarky. Who what why and when. The what is not complete. Thx


0

Who managed the Central Coast Blue project?


14

A bunch of good ol’ BOYS who think they play in the big leagues.


6

$158 million???? Not paying taxes? What’s going on with the City Council and incompetent City Manager?


37

I guess the old wink and a nod between government entities didn’t stay hidden this time.


39