Downtown San Diego seen from the air. Photo credit: Chris Stone
“You’re not a high credit risk.” That was the message San Diego’s pension commission sent to the city in March.
They were asked to bet on the city’s future budget and approve pension payments that would be significantly reduced now, with a promise to supplement them with gradually increasing payments over the next few years. Instead, the board took a more prudent approach in the face of concerns about the city’s future revenue and pointed to concerns many residents feel about the way the city is governed.
The pension board’s decision sparked some of the toughest budget negotiations San Diego has seen in years. Faced with the need to rein in budget deficits and protect despicable interventions in the homeless crisis while recovering from historic flooding, the strain on our city’s limited resources became clear for all to see. . Hope, like dollars, is in short supply.
However, in this election, voting includes an opportunity to promote both. San Diego residents should vote “yes” on Measure E. This is a sales tax increase of just 1 cent for every dollar spent in San Diego and would generate $400 million in new annual funding for the city’s general fund.
San Diego hasn’t raised its sales tax rate in decades to cover rising city service costs. And it shows.
Residents want roads to be improved. We want our neighborhoods to be safe. And we want to keep the park clean.
Stormwater systems need to be reliable even in the face of more frequent flooding. As our region becomes increasingly hot and dry, we need firefighters equipped to protect our homes.
And we need to tackle the key drivers of the rising cost of living by building more affordable housing.
These are just the basics.
San Diego residents say they are frustrated with the direction the city is heading. In a recent San Diego Union-Tribune/10 News poll, half of respondents said the same thing, and half said their biggest concern was the cost of living. It’s a good idea that the only people more frustrated by this situation are the mayor and city council members. They have minimal resources yet seek to meet the city’s demands through a level of government that provokes the highest degree of oversight.
None of our city council members, who are still young in their political careers, are taking responsibility for the budget challenges facing our city. They worked with the mayor to make the budget process more open, more inclusive, and more transparent.
But without more revenue, we can’t create miracles or provide real solutions. Voters should not be fooled into thinking that tens of millions, much less hundreds of millions of dollars, are held hostage to incompetence and corruption.
San Diegans know how high our cost of living is. 30% of San Diego residents spend more than 50% of their total household income on rent. More than half of all renters in San Diego are eligible to receive federal rental assistance vouchers, but they are placed on waiting lists that can take up to 15 years to receive.
It’s easy to say these renters can’t accept a sales tax increase when home prices are so high. But that impulse should be rejected for two reasons.
First, when it comes to the housing crisis, the only solution is investment. We need to build more housing, including thousands more deed-restricted units, that will ensure affordability and reduce pressure on market-rate demand. If Measure E passes, the city will have an opportunity to make an unprecedented general fund investment in the affordable housing our workers need.
Second, households struggling with high living costs need city services restored and expanded more than anyone else. The investments San Diego makes must benefit all of our citizens in order for our city to thrive. The city we want as a San Diegan is simply more than our local government can currently afford. Penny pinchers are wrong to say otherwise.
better roads. Safer areas. A cleaner park. Open the library. Homelessness has decreased. Affordable homes.
Build real progress in your city with every penny. Vote “Yes” for Measure E.
Andy Kopp is a Navy veteran who advocates for housing policies that promote the public good and is the former director of strategic initiatives for the San Diego Housing Federation. He lives in Mission Valley.
