San Diego Unified’s Measure U - More Bonds, More Safety, No New Taxes

The cool stuff is in the fine print.

There isn’t enough money coming from property taxes to pay for the upkeep and construction of the infrastructure needed to support public education. There never will be. 

That’s part of what we got with (all the loopholes in) Proposition 13. While we were supposed to be saving grannies from living on the streets, the benefit to corporate overlords was the real payoff.

Monies from the state are now supposed to educate, and it’s mostly up to localities to handle infrastructure.

Generally speaking, this means using local bond measures, adding a few cents here and there to property taxes to leverage the big bucks needed to keep the roofs from leaking. The good news here is that voters are more inclined to say yes to these requests than to things that aren’t “for the children.”

San Diego Unified is presenting voters with the opportunity to weigh in on a bond measure for the fourth time since 2008. They’re asking in hopes of securing $3.2 billion for projects across  over 200 educational facilities. Property taxes wouldn’t go up; instead the sunset date on the existing district wide property tax of six cents per $100 of assessed value would be pushed into the future.

The negative commentary about bond measure proposals often centers around two things, namely specifics on what’s going to be paid for, and who’s going to be watching over these expenditures.

Nowadays, bond measure proposals come with shopping lists. They’re subject to change because school officials or parents want some flexibility. Which is why money has been spent on artificial turf and sporting facilities. 

There are also very solemn sounding panels of upright citizens on duty to make sure no money gets spent on something bad. (Sarcastic tone of voice: Obviously, they’re very effective since their reports are hunky dory.) It’s all part of a game that must be played for progress.

Additionally, theocrats and MAGA types are trying to scare up support for themselves with campaigns designed to undermine support for public education. They call the present system “government schools” and their media-mouths ramble on about Critical Race Theory, dirty language in school library books, unions as tools of the devil, and gender-bending groomers lurking in school bathrooms.

It’s a tough time for educators, especially since they’ve been the most visible target for another group looking to undermine confidence in a democratic system of governance; namely the anti-vaxxer/masks-are-killing-us types looking to harvest the votes of people unwilling to be openly racist or misogynist. 

Much of what Measure U will pay for involves repair and maintenance issues. The sales pitch to the taxpayer advocate-types –needed because organized resistance can tank the required 55% approval to pass a bond measure– was all about improving school security. 

Since congregated children are now a favored target for gun-obsessed incels, more gun-toting guards and higher fences are considered the most politically expedient solutions. In their heart of hearts, (mostly) right wing obstructionists know these options aren’t viable obstacles to an AR-15 volley, but saying no to guns is something Jesus tells them not to do.

The really interesting parts of the Measure U pitch are the construction and modification of classrooms for the state’s push for expanded kindergarten and the potential for construction of affordable housing for employees.

From the Union-Tribune:

• The San Diego County Taxpayers Association endorsed Measure U because district officials told them it would prioritize and “fast-track” school security measures, said association CEO Haney Hong. School districts also need money for transitional kindergarten facilities because the state is telling schools to add a new grade level but not providing additional money to do it, Hong said.

• But Measure U isn’t perfect, Hong said. In particular, he is hesitant about the staff affordable housing.

• “It seems a little questionable as to whether this is the intention of Prop. 39 bonds,” Hong said, referring to the state law that made it easier for school districts to pass bond measures. “If it becomes just another source of money to increase teacher pay, that’s when the taxpayers association will really start to dislike these.”

Transitional kindergarten, a new grade level for 4-year-olds that the state is requiring public schools to offer by 2025 is in part addressing a serious childcare crisis:

From the Union-Tribune:

• High costs and low availability of child care in San Diego County are causing financial strain on families and keeping some parents out of the workforce, local leaders said at a forum Tuesday where they recommended subsidies and worker training programs.

• “The challenge that we face is that in California the cost of child care is more than the cost of a four-year university,” Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, said. “So obviously that causes a lot of people that we would otherwise have in the workforce to stay home.”

The concept of affordable housing for education employees has caught on elsewhere in California since salaries haven’t been able to keep up with rent inflation and soaring residential property values.

San Diego Unified is saying it’s open to the idea without going into specifics. I think this is due to the potential for some serious political headwinds, although there’s mention of 500 housing units at some point in the future. 

The district recently purchased property in Kearny Mesa, and their intentions include moving their administrative offices away from the prime real estate it currently occupies in University Heights.  It’s a perfect location for —gasp—affordable housing.

In addition to the concerns of the taxpayer association, employee housing for SDUSD isn’t likely to be popular with the neighborhood’s nattering NIMBYs, whose latest efforts include opposing bathrooms at a public park.

So for now, the housing idea–which is fantastic in my view–isn’t on center stage. My inquiries about details of any such effort have been met with silence. I suspect that’s because nobody wants to rile up some potentially very vocal opposition.

The bottom line here is that you should vote Yes on Measure U. It doesn’t raise taxes, meets some immediate obligations, and holds the potential to pay for a critical future need.   

Here’s the legalese for Measure U.

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Want some help voting?

Click on the titles below to see previous voter guides
(Endorsements coming Monday, October 10)

California State Officials
California’s DC Delegation
State Senate Races
State Assembly Races
SD County Supervisors
County Sheriff, Assessor, and Treasurer Races
SD County Measure A: Marijuana is on the Ballot
SD City Measure B: Cash Meets Trash 
SD City Measure C: Reach for the Sky! Or Else?
SD City Measure D: Righting a Wrong to Build a Future
SD City Measure H: It’s for the Children (And Their Parents)
CA Proposition 1: It’s About More Than Abortion
CA Propositions 26 & 27: Betcha Can’t Pick Just One
CA Proposition 28: Arts & Music for a Sane Future
CA Proposition 29: Regulating Dialysis Clinics and the Definition of Insanity
CA Proposition 30: A Poison Pill Concealed by Sweet Promises
CA Proposition 31: Tobacco Company Lawyers Are Scum
SD Democrats’ Scandal Inside a Scandal: Board of Equalization
SD City Council Races: District Two - Is Voting Republican a Mortal Sin?
SD City Council Races: District Four - No News Is Good News for Incumbent
Montgomery-Steppe
SD City Council Races: District Six: It Depends on Your Definition of Neighborhood
SD City Council Races: District 8 - Nothing to See Here
A Dozen Key Races for Progressive Goals in San Diego (Via County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer)

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Boards of Education Contests:
Analysis by Thomas Ultican

2022 School Board Contests, Part 1
The County Board, San Diego Unified, Sweetwater Union, Poway Unified
2022 School Board Contests, Part 2
Chula Vista, San Marcos, Vista, Grossmont
2022 School Board Contests, Part 3
Oceanside, Escondido, San Dieguito
2022 School Board Contests, Part 4
Coronado, Carlsbad, Escondido Union
2022 School Board Contests, Part 5
Encinitas Union Elementary School District

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Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com