I am voting NO on Measure C-22, a $349,000,000 bond for the upgrade of SL Coastal school buildings. If it passes, there will be another line item on our property tax statement for some hundreds of dollars to be paid for years. The text of the measure states the amounts are only estimates and might not be the maximum dollar figure.
In 2014 voters approved Measure D, a bond for $177,000,000, for the same purpose — the construction and renovation of school buildings, electrical, plumbing etc. (SL Coastal 2014 GO on property tax statements). Since then, I have paid $1,931.00 for this line item. This tax will go on for another 20 years. Annually, there are also taxes due for the sewer, Cuesta College, and fire services. Together, they amount to thousands of dollars on top of basic ever-increasing property taxes (62 cents of which go to schools).
We are experiencing the worst inflation in 40 years with a recession likely. Those who are fortunate enough to have savings watch their value is plummeting. The poverty rate in Los Osos is 9.3% (U.S. Census data). I am grateful for the Los Osos wastewater system low-income user fee offset program. I don’t know how many people qualified, but I know a grandmother who can’t afford to stop working and I see some occupied houses that look like they are all but falling down. There are people who have lived in Los Osos for decades who are barely scraping by. What happens to them when they can’t any longer?
Recently the Board of Supervisors approved bond sales to fund major construction projects without proposing any new taxes. Sounds good to me.
Alice Welchert
Los Osos