Tag Archives: taxes

Vote for independence – Letter to the Beach Reportor by Illeen Joscha

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Mike

Vote for independence

The newly-released city documents and e-mails tell all. The firefighter and police unions were behind this push to extort $10 million per year in new taxes from Chevron, to pay for their astronomical and unsustainable salaries and benefits that have averaged $211,000 ($342,000 maximum) per individual per year for firefighters and $178,000 ($304,000 maximum) for police.

These self-serving safety unions are supporting Scott Houston (who took a police union endorsement, large campaign contribution, and other support in 2010), Marie Fellhauer (a police union member herself), and Cindee Topar (former City Council campaign manager for a firefighter union member and a militant union official herself) for City Council. … Continue reading →

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Video – Scott Houston in Raising Taxes 101 – El Segundo – Public Safety Project – T0758

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Mike


Scott Houston in Raising Taxes 101

El Segundo City Council candidate Scott Houston has completely misrepresented his true record, politics, and agenda. Houston is a Progressive (ultra-liberal, big tax-and-spender), not a fiscal conservative. He even described himself as a Progressive when he previously ran for another position.

Houston claimed in his campaign literature that he is for “low taxes”. However, as demonstrated by the video above and the links to the official El Segundo City Council meeting minutes below, Scott Houston urged the City Council to raise not one, but two taxes during the recession, at the August 3, 2010 El Segundo City Council meeting.

Houston urged the City Council to put both a Utility User Tax (UUT) and a hotel Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) hike on the November 2, 2010 ballot for the legally required voter approval. Houston then criticized Councilman Carl Jacobson for opposing tax increases in favor of controlling city government spending.

And without any proof, Houston claimed these tax hikes would not impact any businesses. However, representatives of the businesses that would be adversely impacted spoke, providing facts that proved Houston was either ignorant or intentionally lying.

Clearly, Houston was in lock-step with the fire and police unions, urging the City Council to increase taxes to help pay for the huge pay raises of more than 15 to 23 percent given to those unions during the recession.

The August 3, 2010 El Segundo City Council meeting minutes state, at the top of page 4:

“Scott Houston, Resident; spoke in favor of placing a TOT and UUT increase on the November ballot.”

“Marsha Hanson, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce; addressed the chamber’s concerns regarding the proposed UUT and TOT increases. The Chamber urges Council to find new spending reductions.

“Joe Hardy, Hacienda Hotel; spoke regarding the UUT proposal and stated that slowly increasing taxes on the business community was not the solution to the budget deficit.”

“Lily Craig, Chevron; spoke regarding the UUT proposal, and stated that slowly increasing taxes on the business community was not the solution to the budget deficit.”

“Mike Robbins, Resident; spoke against raising any taxes, and employee compensation.”

You can read the August 3, 2010 El Segundo City council meeting minutes yourself on the official City of El Segundo web site at:

El Segundo City Council Meeting Minutes Index
http://www.elsegundo.org/depts/elected/minutes.asp

El Segundo City Council Meeting Minutes for August 3, 2010
http://www.elsegundo.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=8044

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: … Continue reading →

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Are Chevron’s taxes too high? – Letter to the Daily Breeze by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Mike

Are Chevron’s taxes too high?

El Segundo’s shakedown of Chevron under threat of a $10 million annual tax hike must stop, or the city will suffer long-term damage to its reputation. City Manager Doug Willmore used a deceptive, one-sided analysis for the Chevron property, rather than a cost-versus-benefits analysis. It’s dishonest to compare tax revenues generated per acre by the refinery with that of other local businesses. Unlike El Segundo, land use in other South Bay cities is mostly residential. Willmore ignored the cost to provide and maintain infrastructure and services for all the residents and businesses that would otherwise exist on the Chevron property if the refinery never existed. And he reduced Chevron’s tax revenue per acre by failing to account for the area of all the public streets, alleys, parks, and schools that would be needed.

If an accurate analysis shows Chevron’s taxes are excessive, will the City Council reduce Chevron’s taxes and apologize? … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Breeze Letters, Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo, El Segundo News, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Are Chevron’s taxes too high? – Letter to the Daily Breeze by Michael D. Robbins

El Segundo making Chevron’s taxes too high – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Mike

El Segundo making Chevron’s taxes too high

The city manager’s Chevron Shakedown must stop, including efforts to extort large “gifts” of money under threat of a $10 million annual tax hike. The city will suffer long-term damage to its reputation as a good city to locate a business.

Doug Willmore used false premises to construct a deceptive one-sided analysis for the Chevron property, rather than a true cost-versus-benefits analysis. It is unfair and dishonest to compare tax revenues generated per acre by the Chevron refinery with that of other local businesses. Land use in other South Bay cities is mostly residential and not three-quarters commercial/industrial as in El Segundo.

In his one-sided analysis, Willmore ignored the cost for the city to provide and maintain infrastructure and services for residents and businesses that would otherwise exist on the massive Chevron refinery property.

If the refinery never existed, that land would be mostly residential and some commercial. Tax revenues would be much less, and the city would have to provide and maintain infrastructure and services for twice as many residents at great expense that Willmore failed to include in his seriously flawed and biased analysis. … Continue reading →

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Proposed Chevron Tax Increase – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael Dugan

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

Proposed Chevron Tax Increase

The cooperation between business and community is one of our city’s greatest assets. Businesses not only generate most of our city tax revenues, they also provide generous support to our schools and charities. The coexistence of community and business is a sensitive relationship and, like any good relationship, requires work.

In previous years the relationship between city and business was built on fairness, openness and trust. I’m not sure that relationship exists today. The current leadership in our city appears to have a different approach. The proposed 1,000 percent acreage tax increase to Chevron is an example where the city appears to have a shoot first and ask questions later approach to working with business.

The story behind the proposed tax increase told by City Manager Doug Willmore is an interesting study. … Continue reading →

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Tax Increase Could Be Potential Blank Check – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Floyd Carr

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

Tax Increase Could Be Potential Blank Check

As a lifelong resident and former mayor of El Segundo, I find the recent City Council decision to pursue a ballot measure to increase taxes on “refineries” extremely troubling, for a number of reasons.

First, the process was utterly lacking in transparency, in that the City Manager’s analysis and subsequent last-minute agendizing of the proposal was apparently initiated without all the Councilmembers’ knowledge.

Second, Chevron the sole target of the proposed tax increase was not informed until after the fact and had no opportunity to provide input or data that might have enhanced the City Manager’s understanding and assessment of the substantial combined revenues the company already provides the city.

Third, no input was solicited from … Continue reading →

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Community Values Good Neighbor Company – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Edie Rice

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

Community Values Good Neighbor Company

As a 16 year resident of El Segundo, I can tell you that one of the nicest things about living here what is the sense of community and connection here. Local residents devote enormous amounts of time to preserve our cherished quality of life. Local businesses provide financial and other resources to support our children, schools and non-profit groups. The Chevron refinery is at the top of the list of good neighbor companies that can always be counted on to step up when the need arises and is a major benefactor for many of the groups and events that make this a great place to live. Those needs have been significant, including the recently donated beachfront for a lifeguard station and the Fourth of July fireworks, which Chevron underwrote. They have supported school bond issues in addition to being the city’s largest payer of all taxes.

Nothing I’ve heard so far convinces me that quadrupling Chevron’s taxes overnight is in our best interest, … Continue reading →

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Collaboration and Careful Consideration – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by former mayors

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

Collaboration and Careful Consideration

As former mayors, we have all experienced firsthand the need to make tough decisions necessary to safeguard the well being of the city and its people. While circumstances differed during each of our tenures, there was consistently a collaborative effort of the Council and community to develop fair, reasonable means of meeting our town’s needs.

The process surrounding the acreage tax increase contradicts the successful tradition of discussing fiscal needs with stakeholders, diffusing potential conflicts and crafting effective solutions the community can support. The introduction of this item lacked transparency, and it’s unclear whether all council members were even aware that City staff was working on the issue. Uses of the revenues were not clearly defined. Proceeds of the tax will go into the general fund with no restrictions on how they will be spent and no accountability to taxpayers.

Finally, the entire process to rush this tax to the ballot will take less than one month, not nearly enough time to get this right. … Continue reading →

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Table Tax Increase Proposal – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Bill Watkins

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

Table Tax Increase Proposal

As a 40-year resident of El Segundo I’m baffled and somewhat distressed by the City Council’s attempt to increase taxes on Chevron by over $10 million annually. It’s unclear that this action is necessary and even less clear what the money would be used for.

Despite the City’ Manager’s statements that the funds would go for infrastructure and capital projects, it’s possible they could go to the general fund.

Further, if infrastructure is the issue, the customary route would be through bonds, not a tax increase. In my opinion, having been deeply engaged in the passage of three school bond measures and serving at one time on one of the bond citizen’s financial oversight committees, this approach would have made much more sense.

Chevron not only supported those bonds, the company is the largest payer of school bond taxes. It’s entirely likely they would have been open to a discussion about how they could support the City’s current infrastructure needs.

By choosing instead to promote a tax increase that singles out Chevron alone among all the City’s taxpayers, the Council is likely to irreparably damage its relationship with one if its strongest supporters; erode goodwill among the business community and voters alike; and face a costly, resounding defeat at the polls in April. … Continue reading →

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More Time Needed to Deliberate Tax – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marsha Hansen

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

More Time Needed to Deliberate Tax

The greater El Segundo community is proud of the collaborative relationship between City government and the private sector. This partnership has served our community well, especially during challenging economic times.

We were surprised and disappointed when we learned, with only a few days’ notice, of the Council’s intention to propose a significant tax increase targeted at a single segment of the business community without having first sought input from the Chamber of Commerce and others. This is a sharp departure from the transparent, collegial process that has always served the people of El Segundo for years.

A matter as important as the single largest tax increase in the City’s history deserves thoughtful deliberation, with sufficient time invested not only in research and analysis, but in meaningful discussion with the community. The scant 18 business days from the time this proposal was first aired in public until the deadline to decide whether or not to place the tax increase before voters falls short of the time necessary to exercise responsible diligence. … Continue reading →

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