Money to fund Measure F is not free

One of the micro issues of Measure F -- if nearly $1 million in potentially misspent funds can be considered micro -- is that Measure A, its $163-million predecessor of five years ago, provided nearly that much to spruce up Loats Hall at Newport Harbor High School.

During what was being heavily promoted as a brick-and-mortar bond five years ago, it was revealed here that the decaying auditorium in the district’s pet school was to receive $905,000 for new lighting, drapes and sound system.

Under Measure F, the new bond that awaits your vote on Nov. 8, Loats is scheduled for destruction and rebuilding. My concern was that the $905,000 had been spent and that now under Measure F it was all scheduled for the wrecking ball.

During our meeting last Monday, I asked school board member David Brooks directly if the money had been spent.

“No,” replied Brooks.

That was a great relief to anyone who is tired of watching bureaucrats across the country spend your money as though it grows on a tree in your backyard.

A larger issue we discussed -- with significant input from Measure A chairman Mark Buchanan -- was the dubious claim that Measure F will not raise your taxes.

This claim appears in both of the direct mail pieces I have received at home. The first one I received was an answer to one question on a list of “Questions and Answers” supplied by the Yes on Measure F committee.

“Measure F will not raise current tax rates,” the piece reads. The bold italics on the three words are straight out of the literature. “As a result of strong property values and the growth in the district’s assessed value,” it continues, “additional facilities bonds can be issued while still maintaining the current tax rate already in place to repay Measure A bonds.”

So here’s how the claim works: If you own property in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa, you are now being charged about $22 per $100,000 of assessed value of your property. So if your piece of the rock has an assessed value of $300,000 (different and almost always much lower than the market value), your tax bill for Measure A is about $66 a year.

If passed, Measure A would authorize the district to issue bonds to fund the wish list, up to $282 million. So, for example, if in 10 years they float a 25-year bond of $30 million, you will continue to pay that tax for 25 years from the date of issue. I won’t be paying that tax because I’ll probably be dead before the bond is repaid in 35 years.

If one or more of your kids inherits your home or has a home or homes of their own in Newport-Mesa, they’ll be paying it for you if you’re not around either. But the tax, by law, will not exceed $22 per $100,000 of assessed value. If, however, the assessed value of your home goes up, so does your tax.

“It is not an attempt to be devious,” Buchanan told me. “But it’s easy to make it too complicated. Whatever someone is paying now, is not going to change. It is more correct to say that you’ll be paying what you are paying for a longer period of time.”

OK, that’s better; that explanation I can handle, and I’ll bet you can handle it, too.

Just give it to us straight -- anything else is insulting.

The bottom line is that if Measure F passes, your current tax rate will not rise, but your total tax bill most certainly will. The money to fund Measure F is not free. Measure F will cause you to pay more in taxes.

All of which wouldn’t be so bad if the bond were being sold on its own merits, but it’s not. The supporters have resorted to a semantic sleight of hand on this point to help get you to approve it.

It’s that brick-and-mortar page from the Measure A playbook all over again.

Next up: Why your Measure F pet project, including the athletic facility improvements at Estancia High School, may never be completed.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to dailypilot@latimes.com.

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