Citizens could be asked to pay higher sales

April 16, 2014
Santa Paula News

City staff was asked to scramble to prepare a report on a suggested 1 percent sales tax increase that would fund improvements to public safety and streets.

Vice Mayor Jim Tovias made the suggestion at the April 7 meeting, noting he had been “working on this for a couple of months” after receiving numerous calls from citizens about policing and the condition of streets.

Tovias said his own study showed that a 1 percent increase to Santa Paula’s existing 7.5 percent sales tax would garner an additional $1.6 million annually.

Tovias said his “objective” is to place the sales tax on the “November ballot and “let citizens help address the crime issue,” and street repair.

“I am directing staff to present a plan,” outlining police protection, street needs and the mechanics, guidelines of creating a ballot initiative and how proceeds could be used.

“Let citizens help determine the future and help with the crime issue in the city and (repairing) the streets,” he noted.

“I do have questions,” said Mayor Rick Cook including asking citizens to tax themselves 1 perfect rather than perhaps 1/2 percent.

“I don’t want to scare the citizens,” he noted.

Tovias said to “Let the citizens,” decide the future of the city with revenue that could begin almost immediately upon approval and continue each year.

“I’m curious: why not address public safety period?” asked Councilman Martin Hernandez who noted the council had been asked earlier in the meeting to repair and replace aging fire engines.

“The feedback I’m getting from the city is they don’t feel safe,” said Tovias. “They asked how can we feel safe,” and did not address fire issues.

Revenue is the issue: “We’ll lay it out there, see what direction the voters want to go... “

In recent months the council agreed to match a three-year grant from Limoneira Co. Each year the company, which is coming closer to starting on residential and commercial development east of the city, will give the city $250,000 to be matched with another $250,00 by the city for a three-year total of $1.5 million.

Councilman Bob Gonzales followed Tovias’ request by asking that the city look into hiring more police, preferably using grants for staffing to include school resource officers among others for a total of eight new hires.

Gonzales, the city’s former police chief, noted another councilmember emphasized that younger children must be targeted to deter a future life of crime.

“... it starts in elementary school,” and Gonzales said he would like to see a plan on needs, costs and potential partnerships as well as grant funding opportunities that could be utilized to hire more police officers.

Although he would like to see an additional seven or eight officers added to the force Gonzales said, “If all we got was two grant funded,” positions created, “we would be better off than we are... “

He noted that in 1972 Santa Paula had 26 police officers.

Hernandez again asked that staff prepare a report on the feasibility of retaining a consultant to apply for grants that would benefit public safety as well as other city needs.

When Police Chief Steve McLean joined the city on July 1, 2013, he became the SPPD’s 21st officer, a force that in recent years had 34 authorized positions and an average hire of 30-32 officers.

Santa Paula Police now has five recently graduated recruits and two veteran officers hired, meeting its budget-authorized force of 28 officers.

Public safety has been a growing public concern since a wave of violence started in the city last year.

From May 2013 to March 29 this year there have been eight homicides in the city, a number matched by the total number of homicides that occurred over a nine-year period, from 2003 to 2012.

Tovias and Gonzales’ proposals came on the heels of rising complaints about crime in the city. In a two-week period in March, two women were killed in separate incidents: Ashley Moran, a 21-year-old pregnant woman was found beaten and stabbed to death in Obregon Park and on March 29 Norma Elizalde, a 39-year-old mother of two, was hit by a stray bullet while standing outside her High Street home. 

Four of the eight victims killed since May 2013 are females.





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