In her State of the County speech last week, San Diego County Supervisor and acting chair Terra Lawson-Remer took on the Trump administration and all his cut-backs to local programs that benefit a lot of vulnerable residents.
She declared:
“Right now, the federal government is slashing programs we rely on for health care, housing, clean air and water, public safety and disease prevention. Every decision Washington makes impacts our ability to serve you.”
Yet her solution was to propose a new tax ballot measure that could raise $1 Billion a year. The San Diego U-T reported:
Lawson-Remer said she will propose a local tax ballot measure to offset federal cuts and boost services.
“We can raise the money ourselves, right here at home,” she added, “not by waiting, or begging for D.C. to do its job, but by taking the wheel of our own destiny and steering our own San Diego County ship through this storm.”
This funding, she said, would help the county adhere to an ambitious plan, introduced last month, to double behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment slots from 16,000 to 32,000 by 2030. …
Lawson-Remer had floated the idea of a ballot measure in February but pulled the discussion from the board’s agenda.
A supervisor-led tax increase would require the support of two-thirds of county voters, but there are ways to structure a ballot measure so as to require only a majority vote, she said.
In her address, Lawson-Remer said such a measure could generate $1 billion a year.
What? What was she thinking? Was she here when city voters rejected Mayor Gloria’s tax measure last year? (And Gloria has been punishing San Diegans ever since with high trash fees, increased fees for parks and facilities, higher parking rates and now cut-backs to police, libraries and rec centers and the arts.)
This is NOT the answer, Terra! It’s absolutely DOA – dead on arrival.
To be fair, Lawson-Remer proposed a number of ways to garner funds, but proposing the largest tax increase in County history is just not it. (Or maybe she’s been convinced by other local Democrats that Todd’s measure almost passed and she could actually achieve passage of her proposed tax.)
Is she that out of touch? There’s been a theme of out-of-touch Democratic electeds ever since last November that are not in tune with the voters perceiving ‘it’s the economy, stupid!’ Most the ballot tax measures failed last year (a small sales tax did pass in Lemon Grove but residents / voters drive on the pock-marked streets littered with potholes and knew it was needed).
So, here it is. The Rag — a progressive website — agrees with the San Diego U-T on opposing her ballot measure. We oppose it because we are progressives.
We do like her “defiant tone” toward Trump and MAGA and have generally supported her ever since her debut at the County Board. But …. geez!
Why do the residents of this county, already beset with higher prices and tariffs, need to be further burdened with this?
Somebody let us know if they have an idea why Lawson-Remer is going down this road.
It’s just frustrating that Lawson-Remer, despite being one of the more popular Democratic electeds in the County, has fallen into that ol’ rut of wanting to raise taxes and playing into the meme of conservatives that that’s all Dems have in their ultimate playbook.
Yes, I can explain her political logic!!! Easy, peasy!
First, her North Star is her constituents as people, with empathy and caring – a people first politics (rare as unicorns in the USA). Second, she touts the primary value of supporting her constituents’ needs – all individuals and families, but especially those most in need. Third, by training and experience, more than any local (and almost all national politicians) she recognizes that the MAGA regime has really thrown all of us off the cruise ship into the turbulent shark infested waters. She sees most of the current political and popular response as ineffective (dainty) political theater (cosplay). Fourth, since all the federal institutions of balance and restraint have been ghosted, her insight is that resilience. and response depend on local strength and self reliance. So, fifth, she says we must save ourselves – so commit and step up to plate and pool our resources in a $1B emergency fund for starters.
Last November, San Diego voters rejected both a countywide half-cent sales tax hike and a full-cent increase in the city of San Diego.
Measure G, the proposed county hike that would have generated an estimated $350 million a year for transportation projects, lost as did Mayor Gloria’s treasured Measure E, the proposed city hike that would have generated about $400 million a year for general expenses.
So, Jeoff, what makes you think voters are in a different mindset with even more financial demands on them now?
Democrats have to come up with a different playbook other than just raising taxes on a besieged citizenry.
How about a playbook that demands that electeds, the media, law firms, universities and civil servants refuse to abide by Trump / Musk / Doge / DOJ and actually resist?
How about elected Democrats stop behaving like Republicans? How about Democrats stop worrying about their careers and bank accounts and actually reject the demands of developers and the corporate elite and utilities.
From a TOSD article, Lawson-Remer later said that the county has billions of dollars available, and instead of keeping that in the stock market, take a portion of it to create a bank to create affordable housing. The exact figure has not been determined.
Why is this not given back to taxpayers? Thought the county had a deficit? And then another tax proposed on successful people.
Actually I was hoping it would be a tax on the wealthy, not a sales tax. I think she is a very sophisticated pol, and could have been more articulate in her vision and strategy. (or I could just be totally wrong in my rationalization from a distance.) Thanks for being on the ball with a response. Actually I totally agree with your plan of action response. I think people will go there when store shelves empty due to tariff games (around May 20) and SSA checks don’t come. Then we will need an unprecedented national general strike to get changes made.
Now you’re talkin’, mi amigo.
She is going down this road because it is the easiest road to go down. I imagine she doesn’t even think there is another road.
Let’s use an example of our current situation. Let’s say you had a friend who was lending you money to do things. You find out that the money they were lending you was off their credit card, they actually did not have the money, they were borrowing it. The lender finally determines they are being dumb, and stops lending you the money. The dumb guy is the federal government. So you call them names and get all mad, and decide to fix the problem by getting the money from your relatives now so you can conduct your life the same way. That is what she is doing.
Distributing and spending money is not leadership. Figuring out how to get the same or more output from less input is. Let’s look at another example that is in the local news, the apparent $3.5M reduction in city/county money to the San Diego humane society. This is not going to be popular because just about everybody loves animals. The humane society board should figure out how to get the same output with $3.5M less input. If they love animals, they can figure it out.
The humane society CEO apparently gets $450K/year. Do you think he can maintain a roof over his head and feed his family with less? Maybe he will quit if they reduce his salary? Who cares? A $450K salary reduction is probably $600K+ when you add in benefits. Will anybody even notice that he is gone other than the other officers? I kind of doubt it, somebody else will pick up the slack. Large organizations run themselves they just have problems growing without the right leadership.
So what should Lawson-Remer do? Lead! She should understand she has less money and figure out how to get as much or more output without the broke federal government lending us money. I think it is more than possible if she really cares, and does not think money is the solution to all problems.
I am very disappointed that she chose this option: right now government employees and contractors are losing their jobs, retirees are seeing their retirement funds and 401K’s tank in the stock mark, and every fee that the city can conjure up is increasing. The city pushes to spend more, rather than cut back on staff or pet projects:..(we have enough traffic circles and bike lanes, we have more than enough potholes needing to be fixed.) I realize the these city woes are not Terra’s purview, but since a large number of her constituents are city denizens , she should realize that we are being overwhelmingly taxed by the city, and made financially poorer by current federal government actions, and that new taxes are not going to be acceptable at this time.
Well said! Thanks Deb.
We need caring people not more big repressive govt tax
Any city that has a $258M debt needs a fiscally responsible Mayor.
People should help people more not big repressive government programs that destroy individuals ism and create more homelessness and hopelessness
What are you talking about, “big repressive government programs”, you mean like Social Security, Medicaid? The current programs are ICE and the big US government army and marines at the US border? WTF Lawrence?
Any plan that depends on the increase of taxes is doomed from the start!
Americans, Californian’s, and particularly San Diegan’s, have been taxed ad nauseum. What do we get for it? Lousy road conditions, exceedingly long police response times for non-emergency issues, non-responsive politicians, out of control homelessness, poor public services, etc.
You have enough of our money! My advise to you is to govern!