READER’S EDITORIAL: TAXPAYER WATCHDOG: "I WON’T SIGN THE CHARGERS’ MEASURE BECAUSE IT IS NOT A GOOD DEAL FOR TAXPAYERS"

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

By April Boling

April 24, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - Voters asked to help qualify the Chargers proposal for the November election should know a few things before deciding to sign.

We know, for example, the project would give San Diego one of the highest hotel taxes in the country. We know San Diego's tourism leaders do not support the Convention Center annex the Chargers have included in their stadium proposal because it is a bad investment. The Convention Center, Tourism Authority and our largest conventions prefer an on-site expansion over an annex several blocks away from the existing facility.



We know the estimated cost of the Chargers’ project--$1.8 billion--is just a guess. The Chargers proposal does not include a financial plan or assumptions to support costs or revenues.

 

We know the public's share of the project will be more than $1 billion, and we also know if the hotel tax increase fails to meet expectations the City (read San Diego taxpayers) will have to make up the difference to pay off the debt. That means less money for police, fire, parks, libraries and other neighborhood services.

 

If voters think the Chargers have presented a good deal for San Diego they should sign the team’s measure and vote for it in November, but if they don't they should decline and spare taxpayers the costs of placing it on the ballot.

 

I want the Chargers to remain in San Diego and I support a reasonable public contribution for a stadium, but I won’t sign the Chargers’ measure because it is not a good deal for taxpayers.

April Boling began her career as a government budget analyst. She has chaired the San Diego County Taxpayers Association Board, the San Diego Convention Center Corporation Board and the City of San Diego Pension Reform Committee. She currently is a board member of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. She is a CPA and small business owner in San Diego. The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration,contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.