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PUSD Measure O

Spending Your Taxes to Raise Your Taxes!

PUSD Measure O is a half-billion dollar school facilities bond on next Tuesday’s ballot. Over the next 27 years it could cost PUSD area property owners $800 million in principal and interest payments that will be added to all our property tax bills.. That would be the biggest property tax increase in the history of Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre.

This comes in the face of steadily declining PUSD enrollment and over $600 million that PUSD has already spent on facilities in just the last 20 years (Measures Y and TT). Property owners will be paying off the existing Measure TT bonds through increased property taxes for another 17 years!

You may be wondering how the enormous amount of pro-Measure O mailers and advertisements you see are being paid for.

The Los Angeles County Registrar just released the Bond Committee’s financial report of contributions received from September 20 through October 17. The records are public so voters can understand whose money is behind, and who has a financial stake in, ballot measures such as Measure O.

The late (becauseofCOVID-19) public disclosure of financial reports has worked out great for those who want to feed at the trough of Measure O bond money. The Bond Committee had reported only modest contributions and expenses prior to September 20. Then, suddenly, there was a tsunami of more than $100,000 in contributions with about two-thirds of that total coming from various consultants, contractors and others who have done work on previous PUSD bond projects or hope to work for PUSD paid for by Measure O.

This is where your property tax increase comes in. How do you suppose those contributors expect to recoup their huge contribution investment? From fees for working on Measure O projects of course! And where does the Measure O money come from? That’s right, it comes from additional increases in your property taxes over the next 25 to 30 years.

If this is how PUSD believes it needs to go about getting you to vote for the biggest property tax increase ever, how do you think PUSD will behave the day after the election if the voters give the school district a half-billion dollar blank check to spend on PUSD’s famously vague wish list.

VOTE NO ON MEASURE O!

Ross Selvidge, Ph.D.

Former Member of Pasadena City College Board of Trustees

Got something to say, email Managing Editor André Coleman, at andrec@pasadenanowmagazine.com