Greetings CCDC Family,
With the start of the month of June, we are already at the end of the first half of the year and what a ride it has been.. To kick off the year I received the privilege of being elected President of our Club. This year the Club is celebrating our 60th Anniversary. The Club and Culver City voters elected community activist Meghan Sahli-Wells and first time candidate Jim Clarke to the City Council. Culver City voters also made a statement by approving a measure to increase hotel taxes. Measure X increased the city’s transient occupancy tax from the former 12 percent to 14 percent. This increase is expected to generate an additional $510,000 a year.
The city is facing a significant budget deficit this upcoming year. The real blame rests with the recession, an outdated roller coaster tax system, the two-thirds legislative vote requirement for tax increases, and an outmoded Proposition 13 property tax system that has shifted power and responsibility from local government to Sacramento. Legislative term limits stunt law makers growth and increase political polarization.
This is our city so let’s come together as a team and continue facing challenges one at a time. Let us remain consistent and steady so that we can look forward to a brighter future. Our next General Meeting is on Wednesday June 13th. We will have a discussion on Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking). As many of you know Fracking is a dangerous method of extracting natural gas and oil.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all at out our next meeting.