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By Jim Fitzpatrick
Proposition C on the March ballot would increase the transient occupancy tax (TOT), a tax visitors pay for staying in our hotels, RV parks and campgrounds—for sharing a little piece of our paradise. And well they should. We are the caretakers of paradise, and it costs money to keep San Diego fair and beautiful. Our wise and all-knowing politicos dubbed Proposition C “The Emergency Services Initiative.” Why do they do that? It’s a tax—one most of us who vote will not pay. Pols are afraid to call anything a tax, for fear of its failing. They insult our intelligence.
This tax on tourism is supported by the members of our tourism industry: the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Hotel & Motel Association, the San Diego chapter of the California Restaurant Association, the San Diego Lodging Industry Association and the San Diego Taxpayers Association. Most of them might well have opposed it, because Proposition C raises the price on their goods and services. But they see the value to our entire community. Some among us might fear we’ll lose a competitive edge by raising the cost of visiting our land of plenty. But the 2.5 percent increase will be barely noticeable—hardly a deterrent to visiting one of the world’s most-desirable destinations.
The predictable—and predictably annoying—ballot opponents, Bruce Henderson and Richard Ryder, claim the additional funds will go to “special interests.” Those special interests? Police, firefighters, libraries, arts and culture, tourism marketing and our city’s infrastructure. This is what they call “corporate welfare at its worst.”
Mayor Dick Murphy—along with Councilmembers Donna Frye and Ralph Inzunza—voted against putting Proposition C on the ballot because, in Murphy’s words, it “limits the city’s flexibility to respond to the changing needs of our citizens.” Translation: He and the council won’t be able to get their hands in the cookie jar. But that’s a good thing. Many of our current problems exist because funds are juggled, rather than dedicated to the very services government is supposed to provide.
The current TOT is 10.5 percent. Proposition. C increases it to 13 percent. At 10.5, we’re a bargain. The average TOT across the nation is 13 percent. Los Angeles and San Francisco are 14 percent; New York, 13.25 plus $2; Chicago, 14.9. We aren’t greedy, but we should be comparable. And we’ll still be competitive.
The 13 cents on a dollar will be specifically allocated as follows: $0.0075 to fire and rescue; $0.01 to police; $0.0075 to community infrastructure; $0.005 for library facilities; $0.01 to arts and culture; $0.025 to tourism marketing; the remainder to general government services. Under Proposition C, estimated new revenues in the first year (2005) will total $25 million.
This is a tax we should adopt overwhelmingly. We’ll have to; it requires a two-thirds vote. San Diego Magazine urges you to VOTE YES on PROPOSITION C.
James L. Fitzpatrick
CEO and Publisher
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