Ever since the Dick Lang administration of the 1990’s, Modesto City Government has been perpetually broke. Subsequent city leaders have had very little discretionary money with which to operate. The present city council is considering whether to ask voters to approve a special sales tax within Modesto to alleviate ongoing budget shortfalls. To decide whether approval of a new sales tax increase is warranted, voters need to understand how Modesto […]
Modesto sales tax
City Needs Money? Tax the Poor!
According the United Way’s Real Cost Measure, 31% of Stanislaus County families struggle to meet costs for food, rent, and clothing. Like most households throughout the state, the cost of housing is the primary factor in their inability to make ends meet. Research by the United Way reveals that, “Struggling households in California use over half of their income on housing, more than twice as high a share as households […]
City Of Modesto Needs To Pass Sales Tax Increase, by Bruce Frohman
Citizens of Modesto have expressed plenty of reasons to vote against Measure X in the November election. However, the city very much needs the revenue of a sales tax increase. Over the past decade, the number of city employees and level of city services have declined substantially. With police department staffing at a historic low for officers per capita, the department is no longer able to effectively fight crime. Response times are inadequate to catch […]