Poway Mayor Steve Vaus deserves praise for raising awareness about the SANDAG tax scheme. He acted on the suggestion to get an up or down vote from the Poway City Council. Last night, Poway rejected the SANDAG tax scheme unanimously.
Escondido unanimously rejected the tax a couple of weeks ago. Coronado and Vista have it on their agendas for up or down votes. Efforts are being made in Santee, El Cajon, La Mesa, and Solana Beach to get Council members on record. The “No New Taxes” coalition is getting stronger in San Diego County.
The big challenge will be to get the SANDAG representatives to delay the vote so that City Councils can weigh in this issue. That’s a tough sled for us. SANDAG representatives become different people when they enter the regional planning agency meetings. This is why we think a massive tax scheme like this should be deliberated on the local level first– getting every Council member’s taxation record is essential to the November elections.
But today, Poway’s unanimous rejection is a victory for the “No New Taxes” coalition and we are grateful to Mayor Vaus.