This is a cautionary tale for all of us. Government has found a loophole to increase our taxes, with fewer votes. The city council of Folsom, in Sacramento County found a way to increase taxes with 50% of the vote instead of the Prop. 13 mandated 2/3 vote.
How do they do it? Easy. The Council gets some citizens—usually those who will benefit from the tax increase—or former city employees to create a petition that would increase taxes, then get the signature==that forces a 50% vote to bankrupt families and businesses.
“I must spread the word not only about Measure G, the Permanent Sales Tax Increase for the City of Folsom on the November ballot, but also the procedural shenanigans the supporters of the tax increase and even the City of Folsom have undertaken.
According to Stanford University’s Hoover Institution 2019 article titled “Californians Are Losing their Supermajority Protection over Tax Increases” by Lee Ohanian, the Upland Loophole now allows “citizen-led” or citizen group efforts at raising taxes to bypass the 2/3 supermajority that had otherwise been required for decades to raise taxes in California (article link: https://www.hoover.org/research/californians-are-losing-their-supermajority-protection-over-tax-increases).
Note this is a tax for eternity—no sunset, no ending. That is corruption. Vote NO and demand the council act honestly. This could happen, and will, to you.
Sarah Norberg’s Fight Against the Measure G: Permanent Sales Tax Hike in Folsom
Sarah Norberg, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views. 9/28/24 www.capoliticalnews.com
Hi everyone! My name is Sarah Norberg and I’m a long-time voter, first time local conservative activist. I am the Secretary of the No on G – Citizen Against the Folsom Tax initiative effort. Folsom is a desirable community to live in east of Sacramento in the suburbs. About myself, I attended Folsom’s awesome public schools, I lived elsewhere in the state and moved back home to Folsom a few years ago. I live and work here in Folsom, the daughter of a retired Correctional Officer and I work as a contractor at Old Folsom Prison myself.
I must spread the word not only about Measure G, the Permanent Sales Tax Increase for the City of Folsom on the November ballot, but also the procedural shenanigans the supporters of the tax increase and even the City of Folsom have undertaken.
According to Stanford University’s Hoover Institution 2019 article titled “Californians Are Losing their Supermajority Protection over Tax Increases” by Lee Ohanian, the Upland Loophole now allows “citizen-led” or citizen group efforts at raising taxes to bypass the 2/3 supermajority that had otherwise been required for decades to raise taxes in California (article link: https://www.hoover.org/research/californians-are-losing-their-supermajority-protection-over-tax-increases).
The City of Folsom therefore enjoys the much lower simple majority standard, 50% of votes plus one, for the Measure G Permanent Sales Tax Increase to go in effect this Presidential Election.
Officially, the City of Folsom is “neutral” on Measure G. Yet the city wants to have the tax hike both ways, supposedly citizen-led, with several of those original architects behind the tax measure being Retired City of Folsom employees with their underfunded CalPERS pensions on the line, while the city has been on a simultaneous doom and gloom public relations messaging campaign for weeks now, all in their efforts to scare Folsom residents into voting to approve the permanent sales tax increase.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the recent “Fiscal Focus” newsletter delivered to me on September 13th, within 60 days of the November election, making the case for Folsom’s need for revenues and concluding with Measure G on the back page of the Newsletter, the implied solution for the city’s budget woes. Here is the link to the newsletter: https://www.folsom.ca.us/home/showpublisheddocument/18576/638616663680270000
Review the “Fiscal Focus” newsletter for yourself! Multiple pages of beautiful graphic design in color, delivered to maybe 30,000 Folsom residences. All in the supposed name of “educating” the voters, but we in Folsom are sophisticated enough to recognize the newsletter as the slanted piece of advocacy that it is, not neutral educational materials as the city would have voters believe. FPPC complaints have been filed, yet, the city insists on continuing to hold three “Budget” Town hall meetings in the immediate run-up to the election, one on Thursday 9/26 and two more in October.
The city’s newsletter seems like an in-kind contribution to the Yes on G side – which has no need for the city’s support, when they have received Nearly $200 Thousand Dollars in campaign funds raised already, from big players like developers and engineering firms that stand to gain financially if the tax is passed. See the financial disclosures for yourself! Link: https://www.southtechhosting.com/FolsomCity/CampaignDocsWebRetrieval/Search/FilerForms.aspx?y=0
Join us in opposition to Measure G! Our website is NoFolsomTax.com, our Facebook page is No on Folsom Measure G: https://www.facebook.com/NoOnFolsomMeasureG, request your yard sign or donate to us on our website NoFolsomTax.com today!
California is not only the most liberal, left wing state in the union, now they are the most governmental corrupt. In the book “Personal Opinions of One Common Man” the author points out that organized crime and governments are mirror images of each other. Both are immoral. When a government passes a law they don’t like, they simply pass another law. Folsom does not like the 2/3 tax law. Pass another one to lower the law to 50%.
The same thing happened to Calaveras County voters in March of this year. Proponents of a 1% sales tax increase to benefit local fire departments, was passed with a majority vote via the initiative process.