The Santa Ana City Council, as you may know, has made so many mistakes over the years that the City of Santa Ana is now teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. The solution that is being proposed by our City Council majority is completely ridiculous – they want to raise our sales taxes to pay for their mistakes!

What the City Council majority (Jose Solorio, David Benavides, Sal Tinajero and Vince Sarmiento) is proposing is to put a measure on the ballot so the taxpayers can screw themselves in the upcoming November election.

Update: Jose Solorio said on Facebook today that he will oppose the sales tax ballot measure!

Needless to say this is an awful idea! Clearly our City Council has no clue that folks can easily forego buying items in our city and buy them online or just drive to another city with lower sales taxes. This will, in particular, screw any retailers who sell big-ticket items, such as appliances or new cars.

Remember that our City Council majority voted to give all of our top city executives huge raises and they vastly overpaid our new city manager on top of fooling the voters a year or so ago into giving the City Council members a huge raise. And our part time City Council members get a pension, lifetime health benefits and a car allowance! They all drive new cars as a result. Please show me any other part time workers who get such ridiculous benefits!

Here are the dirty details, from the City Council meeting agenda:

APPROVE SUBMISSION TO THE VOTERS AT THE NOVEMBER 6, 2018 MUNICIPAL ELECTION: A SALES TAX MEASURE FOR MUNICIPAL SERVICES {STRATEGIC PLAN NO. 4.3.} – City Manager’s Office

Staff Report

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1. – Discuss placing on the November 6, 2018 General Municipal Election ballot a measure asking voters to consider the adoption of a sales tax; and

2. – Authorize and direct staff to prepare all required documents necessary to proceed with a ballot measure, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

a. – a resolution giving notice of the City’s General Municipal Election to be held in the City of Santa Ana on November 6, 2018 for the submission of questions to the voters relating to a sales tax measure.

b. – a resolution containing the ballot question and related to the sales tax measure;

c. – a resolution authorizing Councilmembers to file written arguments for or against the amendments; and

d. – guidelines for preparation of arguments for/against the proposed amendments;

e. – all other documents required to proceed with the sales tax measure.