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Anti-tax advocates rally against San Diego bond measures

Posted at 5:21 PM, Oct 31, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-31 20:45:37-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Anti-tax advocates rallied Wednesday against an array of bond measures across San Diego County say they will add more than $21 billion in debt to San Diego taxpayers if they all pass. 

"We have to say no to the big bond bailout of 2018," said anti-tax advocate Carl DeMaio, flanked by a dozen supporters, and Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party in San Diego County.

While calling for an across the board rejection of all bond measures on the ballot, the speakers focused most of their ire on Measure Y-Y, the $3.5 billion measure for the San Diego Unified School District.

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"These bonds are used to cover up financial mismanagement in local government. They are big ol' bailout," said DeMaio. "They're running up the credit card." 

Tax reform advocates say Y-Y is the third in a series for San Diego Unified that began in 2008. And that the promises of the previous measures were broken.  

"You should ask the people who wrote measure Y-Y why they didn't get the projects they put on the list in 2008 and 2012 done," DeMaio said.

10News met with San Diego Unified spokesman Andrew Sharp at Grant K-12 in Mission Hills. 

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"You can see a state of the art classroom building," Sharp said as he pointed at a new looking structure on the campus. "That was a result of the generous support of taxpayers and proposition S and Z."

Grant says the bond measures in 2008 and 2012 were always the first two steps in a three-part improvement of San Diego schools. 

"In 2008 we developed a district-wide plan; what it would cost to bring all of our schools into working order. And this [Measure Y-Y] is the final phase of that," Grant added.

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But Sally Smith, who attended the anti-tax rally, held a property tax bill she said was over $4,000 on a modest San Diego home. 

She told 10News people are simply being pushed to the limit. 

"She may be at $5,000," said Smith. "That's very, very difficult."

Opponents maintain these bond measures will cover holes government doesn't want to talk about.

"It doesn't go where they are told it's going to go," said DeMaio. "The money's always diverted and siphoned off."