Residents Asked to Increase Another Sales Tax Hike

Culver City officials have set Oct. 22 as the deadline to register to vote in the crucial Culver special election on Nov. 6 that could result in higher local sales taxes and, possibly, another major change in the City’s 100-year-old Charter.

Properly-registered Culver voters will be asked to vote on two key measures.

The proposed sales-tax increase that will be on the November ballot is part of the City’s Measure C.

It would hike the local rate to 10.25 percent from the current 10 percent, with the extra money raised going directly to the City’s General Fund rather than being shared with the State of California.

The new tax increase would raise about $4.9 million annually for local coffers, City officials project.

All five members of the City Council support the tax-hike, saying that it’s needed to maintain and improve services.

Opponents of Measure C worry that the extra $4.9 million in yearly taxpayer cash it would generate may instead simply be used to give more raises to current City employees and to add to their pension plans and other benefits.

The other proposition, Measure D, would once-again change Culver’s original City Charter. It would move most local elections, typically held in the spring, to the same day that statewide elections are regularly held in even-numbered nears. If passed, the measure would take effect in 2020.

Supporters of Measure D say that, by consolidating Culver’s elections with those statewide, it should raise local voter-turnout and perhaps even save the City some money.

Some opponents, though, say that it’s just an attempt to ensure that Culver City and statewide officials retain control of their respective Democratic areas. The vast majority of voters in Culver and California alike, like their constituents, are registered Dems.

Passage of Measure D would also automatically extend two of the five current Councilmembers’ terms for several months without the need to face a regularly scheduled vote.

Information about the two ballot measures can be found on the City’s web site, http://www.culvercity.org. Additional information, including info about registering or re-registering to vote, can be obtained by emailing city.clerk@culvercity.org.

Culver City Hall’s phone number is (310) 253-6000.