The following letter to the editor was published in the El Segundo Herald newspaper (HeraldPublications.com) on Thursday, January 5, 2012 in the Letters section on page 2. The El Segundo Herald has a strict 250-word limit, including the title.
Chevron Tax
It’s disappointing that a majority of the City Council feel compelled to raise taxes on El Segundo’s oldest business without taking the time to consider the consequences not only for Chevron but for other businesses here.
Why, in a last-minute agenda addition just five days before Christmas, would the Council vote to draft an initiative for millions in new taxes, with a deadline of January 13 to decide whether or not to place it on the ballot?
Between holiday downtime and the Mayor himself planning to be unavailable for the 12 days immediately preceding that vote, how can they possibly determine if this is in the best interests of El Segundo?
Also puzzling is the fact that some Council members were apparently in such a hurry to rush this multi-million tax onto the ballot that they failed to provide time to solicit and consider input from the city’s residents and business community, or to demand further analysis of the impacts of the proposed tax over and above the brief report presented by the City Manager.
A tax of this magnitude deserves extensive scrutiny and public discussion before taking a fast track to the ballot. If they’re willing to do this to one company, all our businesses and families are at risk of being the next target. The Council can and should reverse this reckless course at its January 13 meeting.
Joe Harding
El Segundo Police Officers' Association (ESPOA) Exposed