Pass the Schools initiative

   The  Sacramento Bee in both its editorial position on Sunday, July 8,  and its news reporting name  the fall initiative tax measure  to preserve  funding for  our schools  Governor Brown's Tax proposal.   This naming, this framing, is selected to defeat the proposal.  It is not Governor Brown's proposal- it is a proposal from all of us who worked on the Millionaires Tax, from teachers, union members,  the majority in the California legislature and all of those who wish to save our schools from further devastation.

 The legal  title  is  the  Schools and Local Public Safety Act and it will be on the November ballot.  We should insist that the press use the proper title for this tax initiative.   If passed it would prevent  $4.8 billion in cuts from our  k-12 schools and $1.3 billion in cuts from our colleges and universities. 

 California voters  are faced with a choice.  Shall we raise taxes and fund the schools, or shall we continue the current practice of cut, cut, cut ?  In the fall election we will be faced with at least three choices.  Continue the present austerity program  or choose between two tax proposals.  If the anti tax forces have their way and we do not pass new taxes the effects on the schools will be devastating – as will be effects on public safety, health clinics and local services.

What is in it ? What is not?

        The Schools and Public Safety proposal is  the new combination of the Governor Brown’s  tax proposal as merged with the Millionaires Tax proposal.  The  merger is a modest proposal.  Sales tax would go up ¼ cent ( as opposed to the ½ cent originally proposed by the governor) and the taxes of the very well off would be increased.  In the Millionaires Tax this increase would have been starting at at incomes of one million per year, in the merged proposal there would be higher taxes in steps for persons receiving $250,000 for singles and $500,000 for couples.  Thus, it is no longer a millionaires tax, it is a tax  increase for the well off.   By the way, some 93% of all the recent wealth generated in the economy has gone to this top 4% of  the wealthy.  They are doing just fine.

On the ballot the  merged proposal is called,  The Schools and Local Public Safety Act.  It would prevent  $ 4.8  billion cuts from our schools. and 1.3 billion in further cuts to colleges and universities. The effort would not restore the schools to their 1980’s level of funding.  It would only reduce the bleeding.  Class room conditions  would not get worse next year.  California would still rank 47^th. out of the 50 states in per pupil spending.

            Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, a frequent voice of the anti tax crowd, calls this a “soak the rich” proposal.  That is a slogan to mobilize the right wing.  It is not an analysis.  The  Bee editorial board complains that this form of taxation will not end the volatility of tax collections – an accurate criticism.  However, you can’t expect  that emergency measures achieve all of your goals.  The volatility issue is real and needs to be addressed in the tax code.  For example, we could re-establish the vehicle license fee, or we could re-evaluate commercial property regularly for property taxes.  Both would reduce the volatility of tax receipts. 

        In the meantime we need to pass The  Schools and Local Public Safety Act to  prevent  $4.8 billion in cuts from our  k-12 schools and $1.3 billion in cuts from our colleges and universities.