Behind the Ojai Parcel Tax
"Middle-class America is leaving coastal California because it can't have a career, can't have a dream." - Bill Watkins, director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project.
As housing prices continue to climb in Ventura County, communities such as Ojai have started losing middle class families to a more affluent demographic. The declining enrollment means less state funding. This from the VC Star (free reg. req.):
With $5,000 in state funding disappearing with each lost student, school budgets will decline, jeopardizing jobs and programs.Enrollment at the Ojai Unified School District is down 163 students from last year and 700 over the past five years, Superintendent Tim Baird said. The numbers began heading south seven years ago, but the trend picked up steam four years ago, just as Ventura County's real estate market went into overdrive. Baird speculates housing costs are to blame.
To address the problem, the Ojai district will ask voters in March to consider a $150-a-year parcel tax for five years. If voters reject the tax, class sizes will likely increase and some schools could be closed, Baird said.
"Advanced placement classes, arts, sports are all on the chopping block," Baird said. "There are no easy cuts left."
I am voting Yes on Measure A5 - Ojai Parcel Tax. I realize that it puts a financial burden on local homeowners, particularly those with multiple parcels, while offering what appears to be a short-term fix that doesn't address the larger issues of affordable middle-class housing in the Ojai Valley. If I were a homeowner (which I'm not), I would chalk it up to a cost of living that contributes to the incredibly high quality of life we enjoy here.
