The Republican Party of Orange County unanimously voted to oppose all 6 property tax increases, also known as school facilities bond measures, that it considered during endorsement deliberations at its regularly scheduled meeting Monday, August 15.
This list includes Orange Unified School District’s $288-million Measure S. Measure S is OUSD’s fourth attempt at duping voters into raising their own property taxes (and those of all their neighbors and surrounding businesses) for the next 30-years or more. Once interest is calculated, the cost to pay down the bond debt is about $600-million…just for this one bond.
Here is a list of all 10 local school facilities bond measures on ballots throughout Orange County this November. They total at least $2.471-billion. This will cost Orange County property owners at least $5-billion to pay back.
– Measure J – Anaheim Elementary School District ($318-million)
– Measure K – Brea Olinda Unified School District ($148-million)**
– Measure M – Capistrano Unified School District ($889-million)**
– Measure N – Centralia School District ($49-million)**
– Measure O – Fountain Valley School District Facilities Bond ($63-million)**
– Measure P – Garden Grove Unified School District ($311-million)
– Measure Q – Huntington Beach City School District ($160-million)
– Measure R – Ocean View School District ($169-million)
– Measure S – Orange Unified School District ($288-million)**
– Measure T – Westminster School District ($76-million)**
The bonds that are already opposed** by the OC GOP are include Brea-Olinda Unified, Capistrano Unified, Centralia, Fountain Valley and Westminster, in addition to Orange Unified. The remaining districts, Anaheim Elementary, Garden Grove Unified, Huntington Beach and Ocean View, will be considered at a special meeting of the Republican Party called for August 31. Most of these districts are already carrying bond debt.
Adding insult to an already potentially injurious November election, there is also California Proposition 51, a $9-billion (Billion with a B) statewide school bond that will cost about $18-billion to pay off.
A veritable feeding frenzy is taking place in the State of California, which may explain the unprecedented nature of the OC GOP vote in mid-August. There was not a single voice speaking out to defend these bonds. It was a unanimous vote to oppose them all. They are so staggering in numbers and dollar amounts.
This is truly a ruthless attack on taxpayers, property owners, renters and businesses in the guise of school bond measures. Bond financiers, sellers and consultants are salivating at the thought of further tapping into the property valuations here in Orange County. At least half – sometimes much more — of the new property taxes collected will line their pockets.
Lest readers think this is an issue only of partisan concern, I’d urge them to look into Democrat California State Treasurer John Chiang’s crack down on the “Pay to Play” nature of these bond scams, which he has characterized as corrupt.
Do you know why he called them corrupt? Because they are. It excites me to be in agreement with a Democrat over something.
Read more on Mr. Chiang’s efforts to call attention to this problem.
Stop the Rip-Off! Vote NO on all Bonds.
Deborah Pauly is an elected member of the Republican Party of Orange County, representing the 68th Assembly District and a former Councilwoman in the City of Villa Park. She is currently serving as Principal Officer of the Stop the Rip-Off! No on Measure S! campaign committee.
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