Several years ago during a budget crises the State confiscated a portion of property taxes from many special districts in California.
It took local districts such as the VC Parks & Rec. and VC Municipal Water District years to recover from the hit.
Some officials think it might happen again.
“I think that the governor declaring a state of emergency is going to be a problem for us,” predicted Gary Arant, general manager of the VC water district at Monday’s board meeting.
Although the district gets most of its money from selling water, it also gets a significant amount from 1% property taxes, which the state could choose to snatch, or borrow for up to three years.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced last week that he intended to declare a fiscal emergency in January. This would give him and the legislature more power in dealing with the $14 billion shortfall that the state faces.
Prop. 1A, adopted by voters in 2004, protects local governments from having the property taxes and fees taken by requiring a two-thirds majority of both houses of the legislature AND a declaration of fiscal emergency by the governor.
According to Arant, nearly $2 million, or 20% of the district’s operating budget, could be borrowed by the State for up to three years.
The Roadrunner asked Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, a Republican for his assessment of the state budget emergency. He commented, “Just a few months ago the governor and the Democrat leadership attacked Republicans for fighting for a true balanced budget. Now he is pushing for $14 billion in new spending for government run healthcare. With the massive state deficit and the billions it will require for his new healthcare plan, from my view he has no choice but to declare a fiscal emergency. Heck, he has or is creating a large part of the problem! Now he needs to clean it up, and we all get to pay for it one way or another!”
Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, also a Republican, told The Roadrunner: “I definitely think it’s on the Democrats list [to raid local property taxes] and I wouldn’t be surprised if the administration was not highly resistant to that.”
Since this would take a two-third votes of both houses, we asked Hollingsoworth how fellow Republicans feel about it.
“I think most Republicans especially in the senate feel that we shouldn’t do that,” he said.
“We’ve been very strong in our position that we need to cut the spending to match the revenues. Our number one priority is not to raise taxes and number two is not to borrow or indebt the state anymore to fund program costs and three is not to raid special funds which would include local government taxes,” said the senator.
‘The County is providing zero leadership,” observed outgoing planning group Chairman Keith Simpson, who provided a year in review as he prepares to step down next month.
He gave his valedictory at the Dec. 11 VC planning group meeting.
“We are a voice in the wind. Valley Center is ‘just happening’ right now,” Simpson said, speaking about the current general plan update, the update formerly known as “General Plan 2020.”
“I don’t think anyone knows how it’s going to work right now,” said Simpson, commenting on the process, which has been churning away for ten years.
Simpson has been chairman for the last two years, although some of this last year he was absent because, after being taken off the list of Delta airline pilots due to an illness, he was restored.
During Simpson’s retraining prior to returning to the air, Vice Chairman Oliver Smith undertook much of his work.
Smith has indicated his interest in running as chairman, Simpson announced on Dec. 11. Susan Simpson (no relation) has said she was interested in running as vice-chairman.
During non-controversial years, such as the last few, the issue is not deciding between competing candidates for officers, but finding someone willing to take on all of the paperwork involved.
Simpson encouraged planners to step forward to serve.
“Everyone on this group should consider serving as an officer and subcommittee chairman. Anyone can run in this election. Everyone here can serve in a leadership position,” he said.
He noted that 40 projects were reviewed by the planning group this year.
“We’ve look at a lot of things. A lot of projects are going on all over this area that we are having an impact on,” he said.
Simpson thanked all those who have worked hard doing the group and the community’s business.
He singled out Smith, “Who has done a ton of administrative work and been very helpful,” and Dr. Deborah Hofler, who has chaired the group’s circulation subcommittee.
Simpson said that Dr. Hofler has made persuasive arguments for the need for Valley Center to eventually incorporate, i.e. to become a city and run its own affairs.
“We’ve pushed a lot of buttons without result, so maybe that’s a road we should go down,” he said.
He also thanked Leon Schwartz for chairing the group’s nominating committee, which vets candidates to fill vacancies.
These youngsters picked up some presents from the Giving Tree last week. About 300 presents were distributed to children who were fire survivors through the generosity of local residents.
How do you reconcile water shortages with allowing new developments to build?
How can you ask farmers to cut usage by 30% while continuing to allow new houses to go up?
Those are questions that directors at the Valley Center Municipal Water District board were asking at Monday’s meeting.
“We’ve been focused on the IAWP (Interim Agricultural Water Program}. One issue we keep hearing about is that of water shortages and new growth. How can there be new growth when you have a water shortage?” said VCMWD Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant.
The IAWP is a program of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD or “The Met”), the big agency that sells water to all of Southern California.
The water it sells is subject to its rules, and what it sells to farmers is considered “surplus.” Because farmers get a lower price, they are required to cut back during periods of shortage.
In January the IAWP will require that farmers who have belonged to the program cut back water usage by 30%.
Nearly 80% of the district’s sales are to farmers.
While they are required to cut back by nearly a third, residences and commercial operations are being asked to cut back 10%.
“We are hearing the public saying how seriously could the water shortage be if we are continuing to allow new development,” said Arant.
Currently the district staff is attaching an addendum to the “project facility availability and commitment letters” that it issues to new developments. These letters are presented to the County to show that the development is eligible to be served water.
“There is some very strong conditioning language saying that the water may not be available when actual service is needed. We are conditioning these documents very clearly,” said Arant.
At the same time that it is calling for 30% cuts from farmers and 10% voluntary cuts from residences and businesses, the Met is searching for new sources of water to buy.
The San Diego County Water Authority (“The Authority,” or SDCWA), which buys from the Met and sells to VC and other agencies, is also calling for voluntary conservation, and, in cooperation with the Met, hunting for new places to buy water.
They are also studying a new concept, called a “water demand offset.” This, said Arant, would be like a carbon offset. Developers would find some way of saving water elsewhere in return for being allowed to build.
The idea is more of a mitigation than a fee, and would undoubtedly contribute to higher home prices.
Arant emphasized that this idea is in the conceptual stage. Nothing has been adopted or even proposed.
The money raised would probably be used to develop local water supplies.
The Met and The Authority both hope to avoid mandatory rationing for non-ag customers, said Arant.
“They will do that through the interruption of ag water” and through voluntary conservation.
“The Water Authority expects to be in balance for 2008-2010, on assumption of finding 30,000 acre feet of spot market transfers and 56,000 AF of conservation,” said Arant.
That amount, Arant noted, “is coincidentally what the Carlsbad desalination plant [waiting for approval from the Coastal Commission] would produce.”
The district has 66 building projects pending. They represent 2,103 new homes. Five projects represent 1,301 of those lots.
Directors said they want to look at stopping new development when farmers get hit with the 30% cuts. However, Arant and district counsel Michael Cowett advised that this could put the district in a precarious position legally; particularly if they jump ahead of the Met and Water Authority.
“The district could get in trouble doing its own moratorium if the Met doesn’t adopt one,” Cowett said. “The district could get in trouble getting ahead of its supplier.”
It is also in a delicate position because owners of undeveloped property pay water availability fees and taxes.
“There is clearly risk,” said Cowett. “You have asked owners of land to pay standby charges on the theory that you have water available. If all suddenly you deny them the right to water there is an issue. If you do that just to make a point, it would be clearly subject to challenge, but if you do it because CWA and MWD say they won’t be able to provide water for new growth, that’s different.”
Arant added, “The Met and the Water Authority are saying they will take steps to avoid mandatory rationing to M&I (municipal and industrial) customers, which includes developers, but that requires the public to reach significant levels of conservation.
“And we are hearing form the public ‘Why should we conserve so that you can serve development?’ If we don’t achieve those levels we will probably go to mandatory conservation,” said Arant.
During the last major drought, in the early 1990s, public opposition to new development went from passive to very aggressive.
“Back in 1991 agencies stopped selling new water meters, including this agency,” Arant recalled.
Arant advised that the district should continue to advise developers that water supplies are not guaranteed to them.
Director Chuck Stone commented, “Our policy is if a private property owner meets all land use agencies requirements we are obligated to provide them water. We are a water agency not a land use agency, so maybe we should lead the communication effort that says we are on an unsustainable path”
Cowett commented, “The Metropolitan Water District is at it very seriously and they don’t think it’s an unsustainable path. It’s not as though they are ignoring the problem. Because you guys are so heavily impacted by IAWP there is a much greater sensitivity here than there is in the non-ag communities.
“Most communities are not saying they are not going to cut back to allow for growth. Non- north county communities are not as sensitive to this as we are.
Arant commented, “The reality is that the ag discount that growers get is for a specific purpose. It is to transfer to M&I customers. When I say that people don’t like to hear it, but it is the reality.”
Cowett added, “The last thing the MWD is going to do is cut off the thing that runs the economy of Southern California, which is growth.”
Major Market hopes to build its third store in Valley Center.
The much-anticipated an-nouncement was made at Major Market’s annual Christmas party Dec. 11.
According to Dick London, one of the owners of the chain, “I told them that we were in negotiations with Steve Flynn [manager of the Bell properties] and that we hope that we can have all of the little roadblocks taken care of early next year. Then he can decide what kind of tenants he would like to put in the center.”
According to London, Flynn is still negotiating with the County over TIF (transportation impact fees) for his center.
We were unable to reach Flynn at press time.
“As far as we are concerned we are ready to go,” London told The Roadrunner.
When that actually happens will be dependent on the sewer system being planned for the area.
The expansion of the Woods Valley Ranch Wastewater Treatment Facility that will be needed to provide service to that property won’t be completed before 2010 at the earliest, according to Valley Center Municipal Water District Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant.
Nearly two years ago Bell Enterprises tore down the old location of Napa Auto Center and said it anticipated replacing it with a 30,000-32,000 square foot market.
The market London anticipates building at that location would be smaller than Major Market’s other stores. It would be fully stocked, he said.
Although some people might consider Major Market to be an upscale “boutique” market because of the many luxury items it carries, London said that is deceiving.
“We appear to be boutique because of the way we merchandise, but we have the widest selection of groceries in Southern California. Nobody carries the number of items that we do,” he said.
He also likes the demographic of the Valley Center market. “We have have hundreds of Valley Center customers. They shop with us on a regular basis,” said London.
London, who lives with his wife Pat in Pauma Valley, said, “We think that the time is right now to build a store up there so that the residents don’t have to go over and down the hill into Escondido. We think it would save a lot of traffic problems through Valley Center.”
Major Market operates two North County stores, one in Escondido and another in Fallbrook. Owners are Sam & Ann Logan and Dick & Pat London.
Their corporate office is at 504 E. Alvarado, Suite 206, Fallbrook, CA.
The future of the Palomar Mountain School, the last remaining one-room school in San Diego County, looks bleak.
A district advisory committee of the VC-Pauma Unified School District has been formed to look at the school’s future and make a recommendation early next year to the school board.
The committee will first meet Thursday, Dec. 20, 4:30 p.m. at the district office, 28751 Cole Grade Rd.
Committee members include: Bob Wisecarver, Dutch Bergman, Greg Mellon, Judi Easton, Joe Chisholm, Pam Moe and Lou Obermeyer.
All signs point to this year as being the last year the campus, located on land owned by Cal Tech near Palomar Observatory, will operate.
If the school closes the land and the facilities will revert back to the university.
Enrollment for next year is projected to be just three students. Last year’s attempt to get permanent funding from the state for the facility as a “necessary small school,” failed, despite the best efforts of State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth.
He was able to get funding approved for this year only after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office made it known that he would veto a permanent allocation.
Economics and demographics have a lot to do with declining enrollment. Because Palomar Mountain is located so far away from any sizable towns, it is hard for families with small children to locate there.
The little school and its supporters continue to operate during this holiday season as if it has a future. The school and the fire department are the focus of the little community’s social activities.
Over the weekend the local teacher parent club had a holiday book sale and this Wednesday the school will put on How the Grinch Stole Christmas—which perhaps is not such an inappropriate play all things considered.
A body found over the Thanksgiving weekend on Anthony Road has been identified as the brother of a local resident, Beth Pence.
The county Medical Examiner was able to identify the skeletal remains through dental records as Michael Burt Day, 63, of Tucson.
Day, who had dementia and aphasia, which makes speaking difficult, had been reported missing in June. He apparently wandered from the Pence home on Coyote Run for about two miles before dying where he was found, possibly from an accident. His disappearance was the subject of an extensive search by the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue unit and his photo was distributed to newspapers and TV stations, without success.
Authorities do not suspect foul play, although the cause of death is still listed as “pending” by the medical examiner.
According to Mrs. Pence her brother was a retired accountant and had been a CEO of several large corporations. He loved to restore historical buildings in small towns after his retirement.
A private funeral and cremation have already taken place.
Thursday morning a multi-agency task force conducted a raid on Cool Valley Lane in Valley Center.
The raid was and is very mysterious and The Roadrunner has been unable to get more than a cursory explanation as to what the armed officers were up to.
“ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was the lead on this investigation / enforcement incident,” we were told by Lauren Mack, the public information officer for ICE. “It is part of an ongoing drug related investigation and we have no public information available at this time,” she said.
Agencies involved included San Diego Sheriff’s Dept., U.S. Customs, Homeland Security and the FBI.
Our photographer was stopped at the perimeter of the event and asked not to take photos.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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