Voice of the People: Transparency or Hide & Seek

Moreno Valley Unified School District polled for the potential viability of a $398 million tax measure. Three questions should have raised flags for an open and honest discourse, not a marketing campaign to pick pockets of 200,000 families, businesses, developments, retired and limited income taxpayers. Three important questions were sidestepped or ignored by this district throughout the marketing of the tax measure. Overwhelmingly, 95% wanted transparency. Increased taxes got a very high 90% negative response and the new jobs was 99% important. These are remarkable numbers that should have told this district superintendent and board that this project should be openly and honestly vetted. They should have willingly shared all the facts and consequences to the taxpayers of Moreno Valley. Instead, they played "Hide and Seek.” It took 3 weeks and two MVUSD outside consulting groups to identify the Property Tax line item "Moreno Valley Unified School.” We are still paying for the $49 million tax bond that was improperly refinanced. Rather than return the $6 million savings to the taxpayers or use for "school safety,” it was spent on a stadium. This tax measure will be a tax imposed on ALL properties in MVUSD influence. Moreno Valley will bear this tax burden for over 30 years as structured. The poll never broached, nor did the meetings this taxpayer attended or mailers received, explain this potentially devastating impact on our local economy. Instead, this was only represented as a homeowner impact. You had to "seek" those hard to get facts. They were "hidden" in the one-sided presentations. A solid 90% of those polled did not want increased taxes, and no matter how they framed the tax liability for "just residences,” as the cost increased, the acceptance of this bond went down— a clear signal of the concerns of all taxpayers, but it was ignored. Finally, almost 100% wanted jobs, but this tax measure would cause an undue burden on our ability to draw developments and business. This district is working hard to hide the truth, cover up the facts and market a devastating tax measure.