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Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
"Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, quoted in the Motreal Gazette, quoted in this week's The Week Advice from 1800 - a different solution from the one proposed by Mr. Li Mandri with his CBDs..— May 4, 2012 6:03 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
San Diego collects an astonishing amount of money in special assessments. For seniors (people who have owned their houses for a long time) these costs can equal or exceed their Property Taxes. So much for Prop 13! Howard Jarvis ? He never dreamed this could happen.— May 2, 2012 3:19 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
When Golden Hill MAD had an elected oversight board who made decisions the City and the Golden Hill CDC didn't like, it was simply abolished. Pouf !! Gone. Replaced by a Committee appointed by the Golden Hill CDC. That is what you get under your scenario.— April 27, 2012 9:01 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
These assessment districts, no matter what you call them - MADs or CBDs - collect a lot of money to rent offices for the friends of friends who manage them and collect salaries most of us would love to earn. $10,000 a month for part time work? Mr. Li Mandri is not the problem. The weighted voting is the problem. Any district can be rigged to win. Americans fought the revolution to be free of the landed gentry. Of the people, by the people, and for the people..... you don't hear much about that anymore. We have been brought up to believe "one person, one vote." Now we have corporations directly voting to tax individuals in their homes. That is not what this country is about.— April 27, 2012 8:36 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
This is a Maintenance Assessment District or a PBID with another name and no state restrictions. What DOES the city get back from all these people? The amount of money that stays inside offices is staggering - the flower baskets are to make you happy spending it. Please, everyone who reads this article needs to keep an eye on the city's latest scheme.— April 25, 2012 2:23 p.m.
City to Implement "Pay First, Litigate Later" on Disputed Tax Assessments?
"Of the people, by the people, for the people.... " A group in Northern California which refused to let these special assessment districts gain in their communities. The basis for these districts is very much like that of the proposed Hotel Tax District - the people who get a large weighted vote are out-of-town owners. The city itself voting was discouraged by the GH MAD court ruling. For example, in Golden Hill one large property owner's weighted vote was about 300 times the weight of a condo owner.— April 24, 2012 7:32 a.m.
City to Implement "Pay First, Litigate Later" on Disputed Tax Assessments?
For people who work, running to the city council every week to protect our rights make it impossible to do it all. Todd Gloria said "the money has already been spent, so we can't pay it back." The City Attorney's office adds the supporting argument.— April 21, 2012 4:31 p.m.
City Council Expected to Dissolve Golden Hill Maintenance Assessment District
The people who worked to see the GGH Mad invalidated aren't jubliant - they are sad. The people who had to take the city to court to see that the law is followed have learned a distrust of the city and their community activist enablers that can never be overcome. To the city: we don't trust you any more about anything. We don't trust you to do what is right. We don't trust you not to lie to us. We don't even trust you to do what the court compels you to do. You will try to get around it. It isn't a victory because the city learned nothing from it.— April 6, 2012 6:23 p.m.
Meeting on Downtown Property and Business Improvement District Postponed...Again
The city has a lawsuit to try to collect from the Engineer before they part with the money themselves. Not sure what the status of that lawsuit is - perhaps the Engineer did not agree it was their fault.— April 2, 2012 2:08 p.m.
Will Golden Hill Residents Have to Pay for Their Now-Defunct Maintenance Assessment District?
Well, to set the record straight here, the vast majority of the assessments are paid by homeowners to benefit businesses. Please contact the sanitation department if your block is overflowing with trash. We have a city to deal with these things.— March 31, 2012 8:58 p.m.