San Jose CM’s Casey, Doan hold out against the city council’s coordinated attack on Prop 13
It’s easy to get swept up in a chorus of tax and spend councilmembers, singing from the same hymnal. But during Tuesday’s 9-2 vote in favor of an anti-Prop 13 memo, Councilmembers George Casey and Bien Doan stayed consistent with their past defenses of fiscal restraint and concerns about government and tax overreach.
Ask not what your taxpayers can do for you
“Our first responsibility is not to protect government's access to revenue. Our first responsibility is to protect the people who earn that revenue in the first place,” Casey said.
Regarding the fear-mongering about retiring the unconstitutional Measure E, he said:
“The fact that government has grown dependent on a revenue source is not an argument against taxpayer protections.”
Watch Casey’s comments here, starting at 1:19:52
Priced out
“I have consistently opposed increasing the tax burden on San Jose families,” said CM Bien Doan. He cast a ‘no’ vote because of “affordability challenges facing our community, most notably our immigrant communities.
“We acknowledge that too many residents are being priced out, and that the cost of living in San Jose has reached an unsustainable level for our working families, seniors, and young people,” he said.
Watch Doan’s comments here, starting at 1:22:24
Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity
We prize letters from our thoughtful readers. Typed on a Smith Corona. Written in longhand on fine stationery. Scribbled on a napkin. Hey, even composed on email. Feel free to send your comments to us at opportunitynowsv@gmail.com or (snail mail) 1590 Calaveras Ave., SJ, CA 95126. Remember to be thoughtful and polite. We will post letters on an irregular basis on the main Opp Now site.