Tier parcel tax relief will take another year
Earlier this month, the state Supreme Court let stand a ruling invalidating a tiered parcel tax measure put before voters in 2008 by Alameda Unified. The move also held open an invitation to the Legislature to weigh in on the question of ‘rational classification’ of tax rates.
While there had been some hope that the issue would be taken up this year, Assemblyman Rob Bonta – who represents the Alameda area– said last week such a legislative fix is not likely to be pursued until next year.
Bonta, D-Alameda, introduced AB 59 in January to clarify the authority of school districts to levy special taxes including assigning higher rates based on the types of property within its jurisdiction. But the proposal was set aside this spring out of concerns of a potential conflict with the iconoclastic property tax measure Proposition 13, as well as the bill’s retroactive reach.
Bonta, however, said in an interview that he has not given up.
“I’m absolutely committed to acting on this – the only question now is what is the scope of that action,” he said. “Are we going to address the school parcel tax provision of state law or do we move beyond that? What that decision will ultimately be based on will be our research and the advice we will get from legislative counsel.”
At issue is a parcel tax, Measure H, which sought to levy residential or small commercial properties at $120 annually,
STEM advocates call pedagogy ‘out of touch’ with K-12 classrooms
As work begins on the first comprehensive evaluation of the state’s teacher preparation system in more than a decade, a widely respected math and science advocacy group is calling for sweeping change in support of STEM instruction.